


Fragmentia

by Hyper_Nexus



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist, Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Justice League - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Demons, Eventual Sex, F/M, Love Triangles, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-05-31 02:48:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 29,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15110270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyper_Nexus/pseuds/Hyper_Nexus
Summary: To save a dear friend, the Okumura brothers along with Shura travel to Gotham City. Meanwhile on the trail of a murderous cult, Batman encounters John Constantine who becomes aware of demonic forces that are planning a war that the Justice League or the True Cross Order may be powerless to stop.





	1. The Three

**Author's Note:**

> The story follows the Manga but also contains elements from the dubbed Anime. It takes place before the Aomori Arc (After Chapter 73).
> 
> This particular version of the DCU isn't exactly based on any animated or comics continuity but it's my own interpretation, So some characters and events might be depicted a little differently.
> 
> Justice League, Batman and all related characters are owned by DC Entertainment. Blue Exorcist/Ao no Exorcist is owned by Kazue Kato.

Father Shiro Fujitomo entered the living room to see two ten year old boys eyeing the TV with wide eyes and intensity but each displaying different range of emotions. One had the look of excitement, wonder and had a big open smile while the other displayed shock and apprehension. He sat down next to the younger of his two adopted son while the older one was still standing next to the screen, bobbing on the heels of his feet with his fists pumped.

"What are you guys watching there?" The priest asked.

Rin, the older one, looked back and pointed excitedly at the screen.

"It's the Justice League, dad! They saved the world!"

Shiro shifted his eyes towards the TV, it was a news broadcast cluttered with bold headlines and hashtags like "ALIEN MENACE DEFEATED", "OUR WORLD SAVED" and "THE DAWN OF THE SUPERHERO AGE?". The footage, a combination taken from both news camera and eyewitness phone camera, showed seven strangely dressed individuals fighting god knows what and each displaying an array of mind-blowing abilities!

Shiro was already aware of what was happening in the U.S, how could he not? It was all the media spoke of these past few hours and he couldn't help but frown. These superpowered people have now become a media circus while exorcists like himself go unappreciated by the public who have dismissed them as charlatans, an outlook that the True Cross Order would like to keep rather than draw attention to themselves. Still he inwardly grimaced, as the world was scary enough with the demons from Gehenna crossing over but now it had aliens and these 'superheroes' to deal with.

"They look kinda scary, daddy." muttered Yukio, his younger son.

Rin huffed and rolled his eyes at his brother.

"Only you would think that, Yukio! You'd even think a slice of bread would look scary! I mean, how could you be afraid of Superman and the Flash!?" Rin exclaimed, turning back and gesturing to the screen.

Yukio glared behind Rin and Shiro adjusted his glasses with a knowing look. Unknown to Rin, Yukio was already training to be an exorcist like his father and has since shown an amazing aptitude. From his experience and what he had learnt, one can't say there was no reason behind his fears.

"I...I wanna join 'em! I wanna codename and a cool costume like theirs. And I want superpowers so I can kick bad guy ass and save people!" Rin proclaimed, getting fired up.

Shiro chuckled at Rin's desire for superpowers.  _"If only you knew, kid…"_ he thought. He leaned towards Rin and placed a hand on the young boy's shoulder.

"You don't need a costume, a silly name or superpowers to be a hero. Just do the right thing, help the helpless and fight for their safety even at the cost of your own. Remember what I said before? That I want you to grow up to be the kind of cool guy who helps others and impresses the pretty girls?"

Rin looked back at his adopted father and nodded with a smile.

"And speaking of pretty, Holy cow! Check out the babe in the red top and star panties!" Exclaimed Shiro, his cheeks growing pink, as he lecherously drooled towards the one called Wonder Woman.

Yukio rolled his eyes at his father's antics and looked at Rin who's fists are still held up, smile wide as ever and eyes burning with anticipation of the kind of person he would become.

* * *

"SHIT! I'M SO LATE!"

Fifteen year old Rin Okumura exclaimed as he hurried down the path towards the Exorcism Cram school, stumbling half way and nearly loosing his grip of his precious Koma sword.

"Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!" He muttered, hauling himself towards the familiar building.

"I'M HERE!" He declared loudly as he slid open the classroom door.

His classmates have already gathered including Nemu Takara who was hanging out at the back minding his own business as usual. One of his classmates, a young dark haired girl, turned towards him from her textbook as one of her trademark oval eyebrows twitched in irritation.

"We can see that." said Izumo Kamiki icily.

"Yo Okumura!" waved a boy with pink hair. His name was Renzo Shima.

"Hello Okumura." smiled Konekomaru Miwa, a short bald boy with red glasses.

"Tardy as ever I see." said Ryuji Suguro or simply 'Bon' to his friends. He was easily identifiable with his ear piercings and his small goatee. He used to have a blond stripe running vertically across his hair but since becoming Levin Light's apprentice, he had it shaved. He was looking crossly at Rin with his arms folded.

"Shut yer face! I got held up with a classroom assignment with Godain and then I had to run halfway across the academy!" Fired back Rin.

Ryuji slammed his fist on his desk and glared angrily back.

"You idiot! Why run all the way here when you could've just used your key!?"

Rin's eyes widened, his throat went dry and his lips was stretched into a thin line. He couldn't believe he forgot that all students in the Cram school were given special keys that allows them to access the classroom from any door in the academy! Rin felt ten times smaller and a gust of wind blew.

"Poor Okumura..." said Renzo shaking his head.

"We will pray that your next birth will be more merciful." said Konekomaru as he joined his palms.

Rin tried desperately to come up with a counter-attack, no way was he going to let Suguro get away with that! Those thoughts were halted when he noticed Shiemi Moriyama, a pretty young girl with shoulder length blond hair and a kind disposition, sitting at her desk looking preoccupied with her reading. She was the only one among his friends who hasn't greeted him yet...or chose not to greet him?

"Um, Hey Shiemi." He tried getting her attention, waving lamely.

She gasped softly, her cheeks reddening and her eyes slightly trailed towards him.

"O-oh, hello Rin." She mumbled then turned back to her books. She kept her head down so no one can see her red face.

Rin gulped and realized that things were still awkward between them since he sort of confessed his feelings to her.

"What's with them?" whispered Izumo to the other male Exwires.

The boys looked on curiously and were beginning to wonder if this had anything to do with Rin's 'intentions' that was forcibly revealed to them back in the bathhouse incident.

Rin was beginning to sweat and knew that he just had change the subject or divert the attention elsewhere or else he would never live through this day! Luckily, at that moment his power of observation was awakened and he noticed that there was one person missing from the class!

"By the way, where is Yukio?" he asked looking at the teacher's desk.

This also brought back Shiemi's attention, the awkwardness now forgotten.

"That's right! We've been waiting for Yuki-chan for the past hour. I hope he's alright."

"Yeah, there was supposed to be a quiz today and after all the studying I did, I'm gonna be majorly pissed if that's not the case!" said Ryuji

Rin of course forgot about the quiz and the thought of getting away scot-free with his brother's absence made him grin gleefully and slide towards the teacher's desk.

"Oh ho! Looks like I'm not the only tardy one! How could anyone blame poor me when the great almighty four-eyes couldn't even bother to show up to..."

Rin was interrupted by a sudden puff of pink smoke exploding near the desk, causing him to fall down in surprise. The smoke dissipated to reveal an individual that exudes flamboyancy. His face is framed with dark blue hair and a pointed goatee, he was decked in a white top hat, suit and cape, complimented by purple gloves and dark pink buttons and undershirt. He also wields an umbrella, same purple/white color combo, but has what looks like ice cream scoops for the base.

"Guten Tag!" He sings while giving a stylish bow.

"Mephisto!? What the hell are you doing here!?"

Mephisto gave a sideways glance at Rin, who was still on the floor, and clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"My dear boy, please pick yourself up before addressing others, it's only common courtesy. To answer your eloquent question, I'm here to inform you all that Mister Okumura won't be handling your lessons today, as well as any teacher for that matter."

Rin's classmates, who were already standing up since the arrival of the Academy's headmaster, looked at each other in confusion. After picking himself up Rin decided to ask the obvious question.

"Um, why? Is everything alright?"

"Oh wouldn't you like to know? But alright, I'll tell!" said Mephisto with glee. Rin figured he was going to tell them anyway.

"We are expecting a delivery of three special artifacts to transported to the Academy's Deep Keep. Supposedly, these items can summon a trio of high level demons so we are amping up security and sort of calling 'all hands on deck'. Mister Okumura of course will among those overseeing the transfer."

"Excuse me, but wouldn't it be better if the three items were stored in separate locations?" asked Ryuji.

"Excellent question, Mister Suguro! After all, we did just that with the left and right eyes of the Impure king so it makes sense, right?" complimented Mephisto but then continued.

"But the fact is bringing the items together wouldn't be enough, it's how you use them that's the key and that ritual has been forgotten in time. Nobody really knows the method of how to use them for summoning. Besides, after what happened in Kyoto, the Grigori is a bit wary of entrusting anything to the Myodha now."

Konekomaru noticed that Bon's fist clinched at that last bit mentioned by the headmaster. The Myodha sect already had a dodgy reputation with the public but he had no idea that the Grigori was beginning to doubt them as well. It was a tense subject and so decided to change the subject by asking his own question.

"If that is the case then why all the extra security in the first place?"

"Well believe it or not, these items are highly sought after in the black market. We were surprised ourselves that someone found them and, more so, donated them to us." Mephisto replied.

Rin was frankly getting restless and found the whole topic boring.

"So then, no class today? No quiz?" he asked.

Mephisto flashed Rin an annoyed look for spoiling the mood and then sighed.

"Yes, I suppose."

Without Hesitation, Rin grabbed Kurikara and was about to make a mad dash out of the classroom when Mephisto halted him in his tracks.

"Hold it!"

Rin slowly turned around to see the headmaster sporting a wild grin and a glint in his eyes that filled Rin with a sudden dread.

"Did you just say...'Quiz'?"

* * *

On the other side of the world where the sun hasn't yet risen lies the city of Gotham. With its history as well as its fusion of medieval and art deco motifs, some would say that the city has a personality of its own. But there is of course its reputable dark side with its corruption, organized crime and dangerous lunatics. However, on nights like these, that darkness was cut by a beacon of light that gave hope to its citizens. The beacon carried the emblem of a certain caped crusader and its point of origin was at the rooftop of GCPD headquarters where Commissioner James Gordon awaited his arrival.

"Jim."

Gordon turned towards the deep voice, not as startled as he used to be during the early days of their partnership. Out of the shadows he emerged, decked in his usual full gray armor contrasted by the black gauntlets, boots, cape, cowl and bat emblem on his chest. His cowl and cape were shaped as his namesake and on his eyes were white glowing lenses which frightened people. Soundlessly, Gordon handed him a police file which he pulled from inside his trench coat.

"Third one this month, just as nasty as the others."

Batman flipped through the file, particularly studying the crime scene photos. As the other crime scenes suggested, the murders seemed ritualistic: bodies bound and anchored over a strange glyph, eyes gouged out, slashed at the throat and vital arteries for slow bleeding and two stab wounds on opposite sides of the abdomen. The victims this time was a family of three, the younger one appeared to be in his early teens or maybe even younger which made Batman narrow his eyes and brought his blood to a boil.

"Still no known connection between the victims?"

"Aside that they're all from middle to working class families, not a damn thing. I had CSI comb over the place and like before they didn't find anything worth noting. For a bunch of fanatical nut-jobs, they cover their tracks well."

"No offense to your team but I'd like to give the place a once over. If there was indeed a congression, one them must have slipped up and that'll be all I need to find them." said the Dark Knight as he handed the file back to Gordon who then slipped it back into his trench coat.

"None taken and I was hoping you'd say that. In the meantime, there's something else you should know about. Two nights ago, a cargo truck belonging to Lux Pharmaceuticals was raided."

Batman was familiar with the company. Lux Pharmaceuticals as well as their sister company in LA, Lux Aeronautics, are subsidiaries of a global conglomerate known as the Bright Future Foundation who have interests in a variety of sectors. He had been approached multiple times by their reps from both subsidiaries and parent company as Bruce Wayne usually in hopes of a partnership or even a merger. He had done small businesses and collaborations with them but nothing with strong commitments. His research told him that the group were extremely secretive and dubious in nature, there were already rumors about a missing airship and an incident with one of their resorts.

"According to the driver, a bunch of men made off with a hold full of not only prescription drugs but experimental ones as well and get this: they were apparently led by some guy in a weird suit who used a gun to freeze the wheels solid."

"Victor Fries." Batman stated darkly.

Gordon nodded and moved to turn off the batsignal, his back turned to him.

"You and I know that theft of prescription drugs isn't exactly his MO so we inquired about the experimental ones but Lux is being pretty tight lipped about it."

"I'll look in to it. For now, I'll prioritize on our mystery cult. I don't want any more innocent lives lost."

"Wouldn't have it any other..." Gordon turned around to see that the caped crusader had already vanished. Being used to his disappearing acts at this point, he simply sighed and lit a cigarette.

* * *

Although he knew about the True Cross Academy's Deep Keep and it's magical barrier, this is actually the first time Yukio Okumura has been inside it. It was much different compared to the one in Kyoto which was rooted in mysticism and traditions, here it was more like a high tech vault with it's security cameras and laser sensors. It was huge and separated into small rooms and used a combination of demon summoning and technology as security, Yukio had to admit that Saburota Todo did a good job with it's design.

Yukio frowned and pushed his glasses up in habit. Thinking about Todo brought about bad memories, particularly when something happened to his own eyes. As far as Yukio knew, He and Rin were both the sons of Satan but it was Rin who inherited their father's powers which left him, for the most part, human. This was put into question after his last encounter with Todo which prompted him to discover that he had some kind of power inside him but it would only activate if he was in mortal danger. The whole situation brought such terror and conflicted feelings within him that it took all his emotional strenght to keep himself together.

"Hey, yer gonna get wrinkles and gray hair early if you keep frowning like that."

Yukio turned towards Shura Kirigakure, a curvaceous woman wearing only a bikini top, denim shorts, open jacket, stockings and boots to conceal her body. The other definable trait of hers was her wild red mane with gold tips tied in a ponytail, full lips and a kind of red marking on her torso. She's friend/colleague who was a pupil of his adopted father and a woman who annoyed him to no end. She had a bored and nonchalant expression on her face.

"I'm just worried about the security protocols, that's all. I mean these are the sacred items of Calythos, Uthool and Nyorlath; from what I've read they're extremely sought after and dangerous."

Shura rolled her eyes, pursed her big lips like she always does and folded her arms behind her head.

"Ugh, First of, I don't know why we're even here in the first place, the items are safe and this seems like such a waste of time and secondly, cut the bull! You've been acting screwy since coming back from Shimane, what's really bothering you?"

Yukio gulped, last thing he wanted was for anyone to find out what he had being doing to himself in the quarantined area of the campus town. Shura had a tendency to tease and nag him to death and had no idea how she would react. Luckily a person approached and asked for his name, unknowingly rescuing him.

"Yes, My name is Okumura." He stated while Shura looked annoyed and grumbled silently about him side stepping.

The person, a man with short black hair wearing a meister uniform, bowed politely. From his demure, Yukio assumed he that he's a senior rank, at least second class.

"It's an honor. I'm Rikiya Shibata, the new director of the Deep Keep after Todo-san's, um, departure. I've heard you're very familiar with the Impure King incident. If it's all right with you, I'd like your opinion about the security systems I've personally implemented."

With that, Rikiya gave Yukio a small tour of the Deep Keep while Shura hovered behind, yawning occasionally. In the room with the three items, Yukio noticed that they were placed on erected pedestals which were spaced in a triangular pattern, each pedestal was adorned with runes and a small magic circle drawn on the top. Rikiya explained that the pedestals were designed in such a way that any attempt to move the objects from their place would result in a complete lock down and summon certain demons to act as sentries, the only way to prevent this was direct authorization from the Grigori themselves. In the case with the left eye of the Impure King, Saburota Todo abused his authority as director to gain access to it, this current system would prevent such a situation.

Twenty minutes later everyone exited the Deep Keep and were now back on academy grounds. Yukio was actually impressed with what he had been shown and felt confident in Rikiya's designs, he turned towards Shura and noticed that she was staring intently at one of the trees nearby.

"Shura-san? Oi Shura-san!" He called which made her glance back.

"Something wrong? Now you're the one acting screwy."

Shura put her hands on her hips and grinned devilishly, making Yukio grimace and regret his words.

"Are you worrying about me Yuki-chan? Daaaw! that's so cute!" She teased and then began to violently pull his cheeks.

"Lookie at Yookie-Pookie worrying like a big brother!" She cooed.

"Grrrrr! C-Cut it out!"

While the two were busy with their antics, an individual slipped down the tree that Shura was staring at and quickly sneaked away before they noticed him. His name was Kouru Yamasaki, a senior student with a whispered unsavory reputation particularly with the opposite sex. He had gotten into trouble before attending True Cross but his father always bailed him out with a stern warning. This time, he knew he had to be careful with his urges but the desire for her was almost maddening and he didn't know why.

Of course with the way she dressed and her bust size, any straight male like him would want to bang her but she didn't look like she was worth the trouble. He tried approaching her a few days ago, tried his usual smooth-talk routine to get her to lower her guard but unlike his previous victims, she was older, more worldly and looked dangerous. Needless say, she shot him down pretty hard. He would normally just move on to more suitable targets like some of the girls attending the academy but for some reason, she dominated his thoughts and made his body ache in frustration and desperate need.

Those thoughts already brought an uncomfortable tightness in his groin and he knew if he didn't take of it it was only going get worse. After dashing into the boys restroom and locking himself in one the stalls, he relieved his member from its confines and put himself to work. As his stroking increased, he felt a funny soreness on his head like tiny holes opening and he could have sworn he heard an inhuman hiss among his labored breathing.

If it wasn't for the relief he felt afterwards, he would've been a little scared.

* * *

Rikiya Shibata stepped into the room which was abuzz with so much activity an hour earlier but is now still. The three sought after objects: a red jar, silver wheel and green bell stood on their suspended pedestals. Being the new director of the Deep Keep meant disabling the security cameras and other devices was child's play but as he explained to the other meisters, it was next to impossible to remove them from those pedestals without proper authorization but that's where the true nature of his designs come in play: he had no intention of removing the objects from their location, in fact he needed them just where they are.

"I'd better hurry." he muttered as he opened his jacket fished out some materials.

He first used the chalk to draw a magic circle around the pedestals, it was unlike most circles and had symbols that were known to a few. What the other Order members didn't realize was that the triangular position of the pedestals was built accordingly to their correct placement within the circle and that they also functioned as a magic amplifier which was needed for the ritual. He then placed the incense inside the crimson jar and lit them. Finally, with the hammer in his hand, he began to recite the incantation. His instructions were very specific and being a fully trained Tamer and Aria helped him memorize the words and symbols. After the second verse, he spun the silver wheel seven times then after the last verse, he finally rang the green bell.

At first nothing seemed to have happened but then the air kicked up and a swirling mass of black energy began to form at the center of the artifacts, the spheroid grew large in size and three figures emerged from within. The mass of black energy suddenly dissipated leaving the three figures at the center of the circle. They were all lanky in stature: the one in the center was the tallest of the three and had a sharp bald head, his eyes were sunken black shadows and there were deep entwined circular cracks all around his skin. The one to his left was also bald but with more squarish features and large round ears and eyes so large they almost filled his face. The last one was shorter with wild eyes, large pointed ears and sported bushy eyebrows and a mohawk.

"Aw Fuck! Not these forms again!" The tallest one exclaimed.

"Quit your whining Abnegazar! No magic in the universe is gonna fix your ugly ass!" The one with large eyes sneered prompting Abnegazar to turn around and get in his face.

"Wanna run that by me again, Ghast!?" Abnegazar growled.

"If you ask me, you both look like shit!" cackled the short one with the mohawk.

The strange figures began to bicker and shove each other. Rikiya couldn't believe his eyes: These were the Demons Three? The Demons of ancient legend who once ruled everything before there were words? They were acting like college children. He quickly composed himself and cough to get their attention, when that didn't work he coughed louder which prompted the three to stop turn towards him with irritated looks.

"Excuse me, I believe Neron-san and I had a deal and I upheld my end of the bargain, I expect him uphold his."

Abnegazar marched aggressively towards Rikiya who stepped back in fear.

"I don't like your tone, human!" The demon snarled, his pitch black eyes narrowed dangerously as he raise his fist causing Rikiya to jump back with his arms raised defensively. Seeing the reaction made Abnegazar grin and relax his arm.

"Heh, made you flinch. Relax, it's better you talk to the boss man himself. Ready bros?"

The other two demon brothers nodded and together, the three pointed their palms at what looked like nothing until beams of light shot out of them and converged at the area. The point where the beams met created a portal, Rikiya recognized it as a Gehenna Gate, and after a while a large figure stepped through.

To say he was imposing was an understatement, his body was clad in a light silver armor contrasted with gauntlets, shoulder plates, boots and a long cape that were all green. The breast plate was also made of the same green metal but had a gold section that housed a glass orb in the center, the breast plate dipped towards a belt and slash that were also the same color. Neron himself has a chiseled face, pointed ears like any high-level demon and long blonde hair but what made him frightening was the glowing green eyes and sinister grin.

"Abnegazar, Ghast, Rath, it's good to see you again." He gestured towards the three with a voice that sent chills to Rikiya's bones.

Neron turned to Rikiya, his grin even wider.

"And you too as well, Rikiya Shibata. You have done well and it's only fair I honor our agreement. In fact, you should getting a phone call right about...now."

On que a ring tone began to sound off which surprised Rikiya. He was hesitant and anxious, his mind buzzing with possibilities but then kept his resolve and answered his phone, his voice shaky.

"Mr. Shibata? this is Doctor Koga speaking. Something astonishing has happened! We were running the routine tests on Mrs. Shibata when we noticed that her tumors had disappeared..."

There was nothing more that needed to be heard, the rest of the doctor's words seemed to trail off as Rikiya's mind was reeling in shock. The harrowing years of dealing with his beloved wife's cancer tested his faith and his resolve of being an Exorcist. He was respected among his peers for his skills in doing "The lord's good work" but it all felt like a sick joke when his love, with all her innocence, was cursed with an unwinnable battle. This past month, her condition had advanced to stage 4 and her inevitable end filled him with despair. He was on the verge of being broken until Neron approached him, promising him the impossible, telling him that his powers over reality were virtually limitless and all he asked in return was the arrangements Rikiya made today.

Rikiya could only mumble small response dumbly and his eyes grew moist when the doctor put his wife on the line. He kept their conversation brief and hung up, his emotions beginning to well up as he bowed suddenly towards Neron.

"T-thank you, Neron-sama. Y-you don't know what this means to me..."

The three lanky demons rolled their eyes. Neron also displayed a look of apathy.

"Please spare me your emotional prattle. This was simply business and now it is done, plain and simple. Now go be with your loved one." The large demon said, waving his hand in dismissal.

Rikiya didn't need to be told twice. As he made his way out the vault, he called back to them.

"Thank you again. I won't forget this!"

With Rikiya no longer in their presence, Abnegazar turn towards Neron with a toothy smile.

"He's gonna die on the way there, isn't he?" He asked with glee.

Neron answered with a condescending smirk.

"And his wife will soon follow, overwhelmed by her immense grief. Life is truly unfair isn't it?" said Neron, his chilling voice laced with mock pity.

The four demons laughed. Neron had control over reality as long as a deal was made but he is not known as the Lord of Lies for nothing. After all, the devoted couple were more useful to him dead than alive, or rather their souls were.

"Now to business, I want the three of you to spread out across the academy. You are to look for Rin Okumura but do NOT engage with him! Only observe and report. Remember Ancient Ones, this is Samael's domain so I need eyes and ears everywhere."

The three demon felt offended. They were overlords many millennias ago and were among the eldest beings in Gehenna so they didn't like being told what to do. But with majority of their powers stripped away and the fact that Neron and Samael (aka Mephisto) currently outclassed them, they felt they had no choice in the matter.

"Don't tell me we were only summoned to act as your doorway and dick around! Call us old fashioned but we're more the 'Bringers of Chaos' kinda guys." Abnegazar groaned.

"Patience, Ancient One. Stick to the plan and the three of you will not only reclaim your rightful places in Gehenna but exact revenge over the one who enslaved you."

The three demons felt satisfied at that and smiled devilishly at each other. They waited a long time for vengeance and can afford to wait a little longer. Ghast then decided to speak up.

"Say, Lord Neron? Dunno if it's my imagination or anything but I sense something around here. It feels like a..."

"A Klasmon. Yes, I sense it too." interrupted Neron as he caressed his chin in interest.

The imposing demon paused and pondered for a while.

"Interesting. VERY Interesting. If I play my cards just right, I believe today can very productive." he mused.

* * *

He awoke feeling severe discomfort and the cold wind rushing at his face. He was groggy at first but the pricking negative sensations forced him into consciousness and made him aware that his arms and feet were bound to something moving extremely fast. Looking to his side, he could see the small buildings whizzing past him and the black metal his body was tied against. When he looked in front of him, he could see the road and a brick wall fast approaching him.

His adrenaline immediately kicked in. His eyes became saucers, his heart rate shot up and he screamed as he was just a moment away from being smashed into the structure.

The black metal thing suddenly screeched to a halt, stopping mere inches from the brick wall. He gasped in relief, his body broke out in sweat and he felt his pants become soil. He heard a mechanical door open and a tall, dark figure stepped into view.

"Harry Cogman..." The Dark Knight addressed.

Harry swore to himself as he recollected how he and his gang got into a tussle with the Batman after he engaged them and now Harry finds himself strapped to the front of the famous Batmobile with the bat shaped visage looming over him threateningly.

"I know you and your buddies were recently hired to provide protection for the Church of Xayona. Tell me everything you know about them!"

Harry bit his tongue at this. How could the Bat have possibly known that? Him and the others barely referred the church by name. He decided to play it cool and feign ignorance.

"What church? I have no idea what you're talking about! You've been hanging out with way too many Arkham loonies and it's starting to go to your..."

The Batman seemed to ignore him and began typing on his gauntlet. Without warning, the Batmobile suddenly jerked into action and reversed at high speed, bringing out another long scream from Harry. The armored vehicle raced around the block, dangerously swerving towards lampposts and other obstacles which brought more panic to Harry. The Batmobile spun around to a halt but just when Harry was about to relax, it shot off towards the same wall at high speed and screeched to halt, the forward momentum dying just as the wall touched Harry.

"YOU'RE CRAZY, MAN!" Harry cried out, his voice hoarse from the screaming.

"There's a 0.6 second latency between this controller and the car. Lie to me again and I'll maybe trigger the brakes a few milliseconds later."

"THAT'S BULLSHIT! YOU DON'T KILL! THAT'S WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT YOU!"

"I'd wager that you'd survive...albeit painfully."

The Dark Knight smirked as his hand hovered above the controls.

"What do say, Harry? Are you a betting man?" he asked darkly.

"OKAY! OKAY! I'll spill! I don't know much about them, I didn't even know they existed until a friend of mine contacted me saying they needed guys to watch over their safehouse and they pay well!"

"How many safehouses are there?"

"I don't know! I've only been in two of 'em and they've already been cased by the cops so there's no way they're going back there. Their deacon normally contacts us saying where they're holding their next mass."

This information piqued Batman's interest so he decided to grill for more. He pushed the heel of his boot against Harry's stomach and glared at him menacingly.

"Who is this deacon? I want a name!"

"I don't know! I never seen him and neither have his followers! They say he's never shown his face! They call him Blackfire! Blackfire! That's all I know! I swear!"

A ringtone interrupted the interrogation, prompting Batman to search Harry's pockets and extract a phone. The display highlighted a message notification, the number was unknown and all was written was an address.

"What's happening at 921 Snyder Lane?"

the Dark Knight's question made Harry's throat go dry and his eyes widen in realization.

"That's all I need to know." said Batman, delivered a well placed punch that knocked Harry out cold.

* * *

Rin groaned, he had just been through the most exhausting and brutal session the Cram School put him through yet. Who knew that Mephisto was a big fan of Japanese style Quiz and Game shows? The headmaster, enjoying his role of being a host a bit too much, transported them all to his mansion where his servants quickly set up a stage as well as podiums for the "contestants". Rin was fast at the buzzer but could only answer some of the questions, it was bad enough he forgot to study but he also had to endure painful and humiliating "punishments" for every question wrong. His friends fared better than him of course since they studied but each got a few answers wrong and had their share of punishments which from this day forward they would rather not talk about (Although Renzo boldly claimed he would burn Izumo's ordeal into his memory). The only one who got away was Takara who Mephisto declared "eliminated" after the puppet fell asleep. Rin was sure the lucky bastard was faking it.

Then came the Lightning round, then came the bonus round; Rin thought it would never end!

In the end to the surprise of everyone, it was Shiemi who got the most points and for the grand prize, Mephisto awarded her a rare Honey-Honey Sisters musical key-chain while everyone else each got the consolation prize in the form of an Amazon Gift card.

"WHAT THE HELL!? THESE PRIZES STINK!" was his exact reaction at the time but Shiemi appeared to genuinely happy with the key-chain, bowing and saying she would treasure it forever.

Finally, Mephisto transported them back to the classroom and the young Exwires decided to disperse, having had enough for the day. And so using Kurikara as a walking stick, Rin trudged toward the towards the old dormitory where he and his brother were staying.

_"Rin!"_ called out a voice.

Rin smiled seeing Kuro bound towards him.

"Hey, buddy. You Hungry?" Rin asked as he bent down to pet his Cat Sidhe familiar.

_"Yes! I've been waiting a lot longer than usual! What took you so long!?"_

"Hehe. Relax, I'll make something for you at the dorm. You wouldn't believe the things I had to..."

Rin paused as he noticed someone walking on the other side of the hedge.

"Hey, isn't that Shura?" he wondered.

It was. He was about to call out for her but his voice froze as he saw someone tackle her to the ground.

Shura couldn't believe she let her guard down like that, her mind was still reeling as she felt the person's hand clamp her mouth. It was only when she heard the sound of unzipping did she finally regain herself and was about to throw him off.

"GET OFF HER!"

Kouru barely avoided the blade swiped at him and quickly scrambled off his prey. Looking back, he was shocked seeing the sword wielding boy bathe in blue flames, two stationery flames were atop his forehead looking like horns, his ears pointed and fangs bared.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Rin snarled.

The sight shook Kouru to his core and his voice froze.

"ANSWER ME!" snapped Rin.

Shura noticed Kouru's reaction to Rin and figured that the boy somehow must've got a temptaint if he was able to perceive Rin's demonic form. Then she noticed the eyes opening on the boy's forehead and the inhuman hiss coming from his throat. She recognized those eyes! She never thought she would see them again. Standing up, she recited her usual incantation and pulled her demon sword from the mark on her chest.

"Devour the Seven Princesses...Slay the serpent!"

Rin looked back to see Shura up and in a battle stance with her sword. He was concerned about her well being and didn't expect her to shrug off being assaulted like that like it was nothing.

"Gotta say kid, you have some balls. Let's see how you are without 'em!" Shura said with a sneer.

That was enough to send Kouru running away.

"Hey! Get back here!" called Rin as he gave chase.

_"Rin! Wait for me!"_ called Kuro as he bounded after him.

Shura blinked and then gave chase as well. Not too far ahead of them was Yukio just passing the gates of his dorm, only to jump out of the way to avoid Kouru. He looked on in confusion as his brother, Kuro and Shura dashed by him.

"Rin? Kuro? Shura-san? What the hell?"

High above all of them, four certain demons hovered observing the chase.

"Well that escalated quickly!" laughed Rath.

Neron couldn't help but let out a sinister chuckle, the noise sent a shiver down all three spines of the demon brothers. Neron seemed to have that effect on humans and demons alike.

"Excellent! This going much better than I expected!"

Immediately, a scheme formed in the demon's mind. It would require a bit of coordination but the resources he had under his command wouldn't dare disappoint him.

The pursuit brought Kouru to the quarantined area of the campus town. The area was still unoccupied after the Impure King incident and often times, students would sneak in for all kinds of mischief but for Kouru it seemed like a good place to hide.

Kouru was suddenly grabbed from behind and lifted up. He looked back startled and froze looking at the large blonde person with glowing green eyes.

"W-Who are you?" Kouru let out.

"You have something we need, boy. Try to co-operate with us, would you?"

With an outstretched palm, Neron opened a Gehenna Gate and promptly tossed Kouru into it just as Rin arrived behind him, surprised with seeing whole thing.

"Ah, Rin Okumura." Neron greeted with a sense of finality.

Rin's eyes widened. He wondered who was this strange person with the armor and the green cape.

"Err, Do I know you?"

Neron turned around so Rin could get a good look at him. He raised his arms and flames burst in his palms as well as around his body, similar to Rin's flames. But the flames wasn't what surprised Rin the most, it was the color.

_"_ _Green Flames!?"_ he thought in shock.

A flaming broadsword materialized in front of Neron, the Lord of Lies had a look of seriousness as he grasped the hilt of his sword.

"No. You don't." the demon responded.

With that, the demon charged and unleashed a green flaming slash which Rin instinctively parried with Kurikara. The force of the slash was powerful enough to send Rin hurtling through the air and smash through the brick wall of a building. Neron waited and looked at where Rin crashed through until violent blue flames erupted and collapsed part of the already broken wall. Rin emerged from within, fangs bared, flames burning and Kurikara clutched firmly in his hands.

"Whoever you are...you have now officially, PISSED ME OFF!" he growled.

Neron finally grinned as his own green flames erupted, as if he wouldn't have it any other way.

**TBC**


	2. Neron the Wish Giver

Two figures engulfed in flames of different colors stood opposite each other. The one in blue flames was Rin Okumura who took a battle stance with his Koma sword, his teeth bared and eyes locked fiercely on his opponent. The one in green flames was a tall individual with long blond hair wearing a silver and green armor with a green cape that gave him a regal quality, he simply stood with his conjured broadsword as if goading Rin to attack him. Rin was more than happy to oblige but before he could, a familiar voice rang out.

"Kirigakure Sword Technique: Snake Fang!"

Neron turned his head towards the voice to see Shura vault up in the air and unleash a flurry of blade-like projectiles made of air with a slash of her own demon sword. Neron blocked some of them and then sliced the remaining.

Shura wasn't done. Holding her sword sideways, Shura quickly drew her thumb on the sharp edge and then smeared her blood on the face of the blade.

"Kirigakure Sword Technique: Snake Belly!"

The blade of Shura's sword transformed into a broad and wavy purple edge with a pronounced eye at the hilt.

"Snake Lance!" she yelled as she swung her blade, unleashing a Zig-Zag beam of light.

Moving at inhuman speeds, Neron effortlessly dodged the attack and sped towards her. In a split second, he had her by the throat and lifted her off the ground with a look of annoyance.

"Go away." he said.

With that, he slammed the butt of his sword hilt against her. This small action created enough force to send the senior exorcist flying through the air until she slammed against the wall next to Rin, knocking her out.

"Shura!" Rin called out as he knelt to check on her.

_"STAY AWAY FROM RIN!"_ Kuro growled.

Rin looked up to see Kuro, now in his larger demonic form charging at Neron. The Cat Sidhe attempted to swipe him with his claws and then bite down on him but Neron was too fast and effortlessly grabbed one of Kuro's tails and swung him away, making him crash into one of the buildings. Rin became more enraged seeing his beloved familiar be man-handled like that.

"You bastard!" he snarled and charged with Kurikara at the ready.

Rin violently swung his blade from various angles and each time the blond demon either avoided or parried with his own sword.

"What's wrong, Okumura? I was expecting so much more from the son of Satan."

"Shut up!" yelled Rin.

Rin unleashed an overhead slash only for the demon to dissipate in green flames. Rin looked back and forth trying to find him until her heard his voice call out.

"You seem a little distracted."

Rin looked upwards towards to see Neron atop one of the buildings, thick green smoke flowing from his sides.

"Perhaps you need a little more...focus."

With a wave of both his arms, the smoke was blown away to reveal Ryuji, Konekomaru, Izumo, Renzo and Shiemi all knelt down and tied up aside the armored demon. Rin's eyes widened and he gasped seeing his that his friends were somehow taken prisoner.

"RIN!" cried Shiemi and Izumo.

"Get out of here, Rin!" yelled Ryuji while Koneko whimpered in fear.

"Okumura! Do something! I'm too young and handsome to die!" Renzo whined.

Rin gritted his teeth in fury and yelled.

"Let them go!"

With the large sword in hand, Neron casually paced behind the captured ExWires.

"In a moment. You are going to play a little game of mine. Follow my rules and win, I let them go."

The demon then knelt behind Bon and Koneko and lined his long blade up to both their necks.

"But if you try anything funny and I will cut them all." he said slowly.

Rin growled, absolutely hating feeling helpless and being forced to comply with whatever this demon demanded.

"Fine! Whaddya want!?" he barked.

Neron flashed that sinister smile of his.

"You'll like this game. From where you are, I want you to use your flames and burn me where I stand!"

Rin blinked in confusion. Of all things he thought that would possibly be demanded of him, he could've never imagined a command like that.

"Wait, Wha?"

Neron gave a small laugh and began walking around his hostages.

"You heard me. Summon a pillar of flames beneath me and burn me to a crisp! But don't think I'm going to hold still though. Oh, and make sure not to hurt your friends too."

Rin didn't know what to think. Sure, his skills had come a long way since he began his training with Shura but he wasn't sure he could handle a feat like what the demon was suggesting.

"What's taking you so long? It's what you want, isn't it? Isn't this the same as lighting the three candles while avoiding the middle?" called out Neron.

Rin's throat went dry at that question.

_"How does he know about that!?"_ he wondered.

"I-I can't! I've never done anything like that before! Not on a target that's big and far away!" said Rin.

Neron shook his head and clicked his tongue in disappointment.

"Excuses. Someone of your caliber would probably welcome a challenge so how about I give you a time limit? You have till the count of five before I start raining this place with the insides of your friends! Five!"

Rin felt time slow down and the gravity around him felt painfully heavy. His pupils dilated, hairs stood on end and his heart raced in desperation.

"Wait!" he called out.

"Four!"

"Stop!" he tried again.

"Three!"

"RIN!" his friends cried.

"Two!"

"NO!" he yelled in futile.

"One!"

With a desperate scream, Rin summoned an eruption of blue flames with all the effort he could muster but to his horror, the flames were too wide and it not only engulfed Neron but the other ExWires as well! It felt like a solid mass formed in his throat as he heard the agonizing screams from his friends and saw their hairs and faces disintegrate. Rin's face was completely ashen as the flames dissipated, leaving nothing but a charred surface. He fell to his knees, feeling numb all over, propped on his arms with a look of disbelief.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Not too long ago they had rescued Izumo from the Illuminati, some time after that he wished Bon good luck with his apprenticeship, some time after that Konekomaru, Shima and himself were at Ponchan, some time after that he confessed his feelings to Shiemi and just over an hour ago they were together taking that stupid quiz, who knows what they could've done tomorrow.

But now they were gone, they were gone and he could only blame himself, if only he were stronger, if only he had more control. There was so much he wanted to show them, so much he wanted to tell them...so much he wanted to tell her.

_"Izumo...Bon... Shiemi... Everyone..."_  he thought to himself.

He gritted his teeth, his body trembled as sob-spasm threatened to overtake him as tears began to flow down his cheeks.

_"I'm so sorry..."_

There was a time, back in Kyoto when he was imprisoned and awaiting his execution when he wondered why Shiro believed in him, died for him. He wondered back then if he should just die. That feeling returned stronger than ever.

Then came that damnable voice behind him.

"All that power and you fumble around with it like a toddler."

Neron stood behind the shattered young boy, Rin didn't seem to pay any attention to him as if lost in a world of his own.

"It's a pity really but the real truth behind those who are gifted is that only a few of them realize their potential but the many, no matter the effort or the will, can never overcome their limits, even when the stakes are high."

Neron then laid a hand over Rin's shoulder in a gesture of mock-comfort. Rin tensed at the contact but didn't notice the faint green glow on the armored demon's palm.

"I suppose you can take comfort in knowing where you stand amongst them." the Lord of Lies sneered.

Rin violently shrugged of the hand and stood up. He clutched Kurikara tightly and his body shook slightly.

"...killyu..." he muttered.

When Neron raised a brow curiously, Rin turned to reveal a frightening visage. His eyes narrowed dangerously, the blue irises of his eyes now almost shaped in a chaotic spiral and his bared fangs seemed as jagged as ever.

"I'LL FUCK'N KILL YOU!" he bellowed.

Yukio Okumura huffed as he almost reached the descending stairway towards the campus town. After witnessing Rin and Shura chase after that boy, he made a detour to grab his meister coat, guns and whatever equipment he could. Just as he reached the railing there was a thunderous explosion and the lenses of Yukio's glasses reflected an intense familiar blue light. Yukio felt pulse quicken and his breath become shaky, for the sight before him frightened him to his core! There was an eruption where the quarantine area was, an inferno accompanied by black plumes with glowing embers dancing in the wind...and they were all of the color blue!

_"Dear God. Rin..."_

Yukio couldn't help but draw a parallel between what he saw in front of him and the infamous 'Blue Night' and the fact that now instead his demonic father, his brother was at the center of it. With his teeth grit, Yukio unholstered his gun and made his way downstairs as his thoughts swam angrily.

_"Dammit, Rin! What have you gone and done NOW!?"_

At the center of the burning area, Neron was having difficulty fending of Rin's ferocious strikes. Though he had manifested since the dawn of time itself, he wasn't prepared for such power and it starting to made him nervous. Rin's demonic appearance seem to have taken on a new form, it was the same except his tail was now ablaze like his "horns" which were now longer and broader like a V-shaped crest and the most notable difference as all was that his hair turned to a bright cyan colour.

"DIE!" he snarled, thick smoke escaping his mouth.

Lost in a berserker frenzy, Rin continued his rapid strikes with Kurikara against Neron's parries, each strike progressively weakening the larger demon's defense.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

The blades clashed again and the two of them were locked in a test of strength, the struggling scrape of metal producing sparks. Neron would've easily pushed the boy down on his knees but the raw fury-fueled strength coming from him was enough to keep them deadlocked. The larger demon was beginning to feel alarmed as Rin's fiery aura was slowly overpowering his own.

"DIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!"

Finally, Rin was able to push Neron's blade away, making the demon drop his guard, and immediately followed with a horizontal slash that sliced Neron in half! The demon howled in pain as green flames spilt from the open wound and engulfed him, quickly burning him away until he dissipated into nothing.

Rin lowered his sword and his breathing became ragged with little plumes of smoke escaping from the sides of his mouth. His satisfaction felt weak and the ebbing rage left him exhausted. After all this, he just felt empty inside while regret continued to sting him. If only...

"Rin!"

He turned towards the voice and his eyes widened in disbelief. There they were, running towards him and not a burn mark in sight. It was strange how their mere presence, bringing a sense of normalcy perhaps, made him suddenly aware of his surroundings and his appearance. He immediately felt alarmed and instinctively remembered the last time his friends saw him in his demonic state.

"W-Wait, stay back!" he called out taking a step back.

But the girl ahead of the group didn't heed his words and proceeded to tackle him into hug. Rin froze on the spot, his mind was unable to process what was going on and to top it off, the close contact with Shiemi was beginning to bringing a slight red tinge to his cheeks. His eyes darted from Bon to Miwa to Renzo to Izumo, seeking answers but the four of them just look relieved.

"But I saw-"

"Your flames didn't harm us, Rin." interrupted Shiemi. "I knew it wouldn't, it was warm just as I remembered."

"It was pretty scary though, but I'm glad we're all okay." Konekomaru sighed with relief.

Renzo sheepishly scratched his hair.

"We actually saw you go into your 'super mode' and kick that demon's ass. Gotta say, it was...kinda awesome."

Suguro nodded and gave Rin's shoulder a strong grip.

"I know I don't say this often Okumura, but you did good back there. You're going to be a great exorcist one day." he said earnestly.

Rin was shocked by this, Suguro is one of the few people he respected (Not that he'd admit it) and to hear him say something like that touched him. It brought a warmth to his chest, distinguishable from the heat around him.

Izumo suddenly realized with a blush that she had been smiling this whole time and quickly slipped back into her usual tsundere-mode, crossing her arms and looking away.

"W-well, don't expect us to throw a parade for you or anything!" she huffed.

Rin couldn't help but give a small smile at the whole situation.

"Heh, You guys..."

"It feels good to be appreciated for who you are, doesn't it?"

The voice behind Rin made his muscles tighten and was shocked when he whipped around to see Neron standing there, unscathed and unshaken as if nothing ever happened.

"Da Hell!? I thought you were dead!"

Neron shook his head in a condescending manner.

"Oh please, as if a demon of my caliber can be felled that easily."

Rin's instincts kicked in and he turned to tell the other ExWires to inform Mephisto and call Yukio for help but he froze in shock as he sees them dematerialize and dissipate in green smoke! Rin turned back at Neron, knowing that he was responsible.

"What did you do to them!?" he yelled.

"Calm yourself. Your friends were never here and they were never in danger, it was all an illusion. But your powers are as real as I made them to be."

Rin didn't know what he was talking about at first but then remembered when earlier the armored demon touched his shoulder, he felt a massive surge of energy inside him. It was only then when his attention fell on the changes within himself. He never felt this strong before and it wasn't just that, he felt more self-assured and in control. It was like he could burn everything around him in an inferno if he wanted to and every destructive possibility was at his fingertips!

"Wait, YOU did this?" he asked while looking at his free hand in awe.

"I didn't do much. That sword of yours acts as a lock between you and the full extent of your powers but even when unlocked, your physical biological limits would prevent you from fully mastering it, no matter how much you train. I simply removed those limits."

Neron then wagged his finger with a smirk.

"But keep it mind, it's only temporary. So don't get too used to it."

Rin was as confused as ever. Removed his limits? What was he talking about? Sensing his confusion, Neron continued with a sigh.

"I do apologize for all the theatrics but it was necessary to bring your emotions to the appropriate state and I felt it was an effective way to get my point across."

"There's one thing you're not telling me." Rin stated plainly.

After Neron raised a brow in inquiry, Rin rounded on him in irritation.

"JUST WHO THE HELL ARE YOU ANYWAY!?"

"Ah, I apologize again. I haven't introduced myself yet."

Neron gave a regal bow while sweeping back the green cape with his hand.

"My name is Neron. And I have come to offer you a deal, Rin Okumura."

"A deal?"

Rin blinked while scratching his hair.

"Sooooo...you're, like, a salesman?" he asked.

Uncharacteristically, Neron reacted to this question more animatedly than Rin had previously seen. First, he looked taken aback that he was asked if has such a thing, then intensely scowled to the point where there was a visible vein throbbing on his head and then finally after trying to hold it back...he burst out laughing.

"PWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

Rin stepped back and involuntary shivered as he watched him uncontrollably laugh. It was bad enough that Neron has a voice that dripped honey and battery acid but to hear him laugh made his insides curl, he hoped he'd never had to hear that again. Luckily for him, the demon managed to settle himself.

"Heh, heh. In a manner of speaking, yes! You might say what I've given you was my "sample". You see Rin, unlike most demons I have the power to rewrite reality but only for the benefit of others and only if a deal is made! Your power boost may be temporary but it CAN be permanent as well as anything else you wish for."

"Wishes? You mean you're like a Genie?" asked Rin with a doubt laced voice.

"Well, I don't offer my services for free if that's what you're thinking. What I do comes with a price but it's so worth it!"

With a wave of his hand, Neron conjured a wall of green mist and on it was projected hazy images, scenes which Rin immediately recognized. One of them was of the time Rin was brought in front of the Grigori by Arthur Angel to be put on trial, the other was when he was imprisoned by the Myo Dha.

"Tell me, How long do you intend to let the Grigori pull your strings like puppet? Do you really think that death sentence they have over your head will go away once you have become of use to them?"

The hazy images then morphed to depict different scenes. In them Rin was wearing a Meister uniform but with the jacket unbuttoned and let free and with the sword at his him. He had a confident and aloof expression like a rebel but all the images portrayed him as someone in charge. One image showed the Grigori seeking council from him, another showed him winning a duel with Arthur, another showed him easily destroying a horde of monstrosities with his flames while other senior exorcists stood behind him.

"What if I were to tell you that by having all that power and being able to control it, the Grigori would soon realize that there's nothing they could do to stop you. They'll realize that it's their best interest to cater to you, they'll NEED you and DEPEND on you and soon would have to play by YOUR rules."

Neron then banished the images and walked closer to Rin as he continued to talk.

"Think about it, Rin. There wouldn't be any need for any exams. Your powers alone will allow you to climb the ranks and go on active missions. You can be the most powerful and respected Exorcist in the True Cross Order, A Paladin!"

Rin had to admit it was almost everything he could ask for. Since joining the Academy, he swore he was going to be an Exorcist, the best one ever, and prove that Shiro's faith in him wasn't misplaced. To be able to control his flames and call the shots around here? Why wouldn't he want that? And he looked so bad-ass in that outfit too!

"For a price?" he asked.

"For a price." Neron confirmed.

With a comically weary and teary-eyed expression, Rin produced a single solitary coin from his pocket.

"Hate to break it to ya but all I got on me is 500 yen."

"Oh no no no, Demons like me have no need for material wealth. No, normally I offer my services in exchange for souls."

"Oh." said Rin.

There was a pause before Rin reeled back while clutching Kurikara protectively.

"YOU WANT MY SOUL!?" he shrieked.

Neron laughed maniacally at his reaction. Rin already felt creeped out by that laugh but it was also starting to get on his nerves.

"Knock it off!"

"I'll admit, your soul would make for an interesting bargain but no, all I want from you is something so simple and inconsequential one would think I'm crazy!"

"I already think you're crazy!"

"I want you to come to Gotham City with me."

Rin blinked at this, this certainly wasn't the kind of price he was expecting.

"Gotham City?"

"Yes. Let me explain myself. You see, I'm an enemy of your father, Satan."

Rin's attention immediately piqued at the mention of the God of Gehenna.

"And I wish to start an uprising against him. You wish to kill him, don't you? Isn't it why you decided to be an Exorcist? Because of what he did to Shiro Fujitomo?"

Rin's eyes widened as he recalled that moment from that fateful night when his adopted father was possessed, the time when he was sinking in the Gehenna gate where Shiro momentarily fought against his possession and killed himself before Rin's eyes.

Seeing the hurt and rage in the boy's eyes, Neron kept himself from grinning in satisfaction as he knew that the two of them were now on the same page.

"Yes, you understand don't you? We both want the same thing! This is practically a win-win situation for you! You can even opt out if you want. Just come to Gotham and listen to what I have to say. If you're not interested, I'll send you back here. No foul."

Temptation was slowly starting to grip Rin. The Demon before him was practically asking for nothing and even allowed the choice to back out if he wanted to. He can gain full mastery over his powers, he can become a full fledged Exorcist and he can avenge his adopted father, isn't that what he always wanted? However before Rin could say anything, the sounds of gunshots pierced the air.

Neron quickly raised an arm to his left and opened his palm which stopped four bullets in mid-air, Rin looked in shock to see the projectiles suspended like that.

"Ah, Yukio Okumura. I was actually hoping you would show up as well."

Rin looked to where Nero was addressing and sure enough, there was Yukio holding his handgun out firmly with smoke trailing out of the barrel.

"Yukio!?"

"Get away from him, Rin."

Yukio said this dangerously with narrowed eyes. He had arrived a short while ago but when he heard them talking, he decided to hide himself and gather as much as he could from what this demon said. A demon with the power to grant wishes was unheard of and after he witnessed what was offered to Rin, he knew he couldn't allow his brother to be taken in by this hoodwinker not just because of his dubious nature but because allowing Rin to be that powerful was unacceptable, nobody should have that kind of power!

"Whoa, Yukio, Hold up. We were just..."

"I SAID GET OUT OF HERE!" he snapped.

Rin almost flinched at the ferocity of Yukio's voice while Neron began to walk towards the younger Okumura.

"Lucky for you, My plans can involve both the sons of Satan and I have a proposal for you too."

"Stay back!" Yukio barked as he unloaded a few rounds.

With rapid speed, the green eyed demon easily dodged every shot Yukio made until he was right in front of him. After slapping the gun off of his hands, Neron swiftly grabbed Yukio by the throat and hoisted him up.

"Tell me, what are you really afraid of, Mister Okumura?"

With that, the demon began squeezing Yukio's neck in a vice grip, making the senior exorcist struggle and gasp for air.

"Hey! Let my brother go, you freak!" yelled Rin as he charged at them with his blue flames abazed.

Yukio fruitlessly clawed at the large hand that slowly tightened its grip, his dangling legs only making the pain worse. As he struggled to get air in his constricted windpipe, he could feel his heart pound violently, his vision blur and that familiar overwhelming fear prick at him. Time seemed to decelerate for him and through his strained vision, he could see his brother nearing them but for brief moment, he noticed Rin's eyes enlarge in surprise and a wave of panic washed over him because he knew in that moment that his older brother caught a glimpse of his demonic blue eyes!

And just like that it abruptly ended. Neron disappeared in a flash of green flames, leaving Yukio to drop on the ground and Rin to stumble forward on the ground without anything to attack.

The senior exorcist immediately sat up and coughed and gasped, his burning lungs aching to replenish itself with oxygen. Rin propped himself on his arms and crawled towards his younger brother, his eyes filled with concern.

"Yukio? Are you alright?"

Yukio nodded while lightly massaging the back of his neck and when he turned towards Rin, he froze on the spot and his jaw dropped.

"N-Nii-san..." He murmured.

"What? What is it?"

Rin paused from his confusion and he could sense that something had changed within him. He strained his neck to look behind him while tentatively touching his ears. His tail was missing, ears were more rounded and the fangs in his teeth had shrunk. Rin Okumura now looked completely human!

It wasn't just Rin. Yukio couldn't see the effects but he could feel it, or rather no longer feel it. The lingering power he felt when his eyes blazed was just gone. He wanted to see his reflection or conduct some kind of test to confirm this but a part of him knew this was true.

"As you can see, I can not only enhance one's powers, I can remove them completely as well."

As expected, Neron was right next to them.

"Your burdens and your fears, I can remove them all, Mister Okumura."

Yukio's mind raced. How much had he imagined what it would've been like he and Rin weren't cursed with their father's blood? If they had lead normal lives? If he became a doctor like he originally wanted to?

But the thing is, this wasn't the first time a demon offered him something. When he was Inari during their little mission to rescue Izumo, he was confronted by the commander of the Illuminati; Gehenna's King of Light himself, Lucifer. The Demon King offered to take him into the Illuminati, to help him awaken his true potential, to "SAVE" him.

But if Neron simply took away their powers then that offer would be moot, If he and Rin were freed from Satan's bloodline then they can go on being Exorcists for the Order without fear of being persecuted. But what would this mean for him?

And on cue those words said by Lucifer arose in his memory, as if taunting him. "You are WEAK." "Your heart is not so strong.", He had been haunted by those words since coming back from Inari.

Sensing Yukio's conflicting feelings, Neron addressed him again.

"Mister Okumura, I asked earlier what you're really afraid of and it's a question asked with genuine curiosity. Are you afraid of what your brother might become? Your own weakness? Or perhaps the truth behind your-"

"ENOUGH!" Yukio roared, taking out his other handgun and pointed it at the demon.

Rin bit his tongue seeing his brother's heated reaction and how his arms were trembling, unable to hold the gun straight. More than ever he wondered what was going on in Yukio's mind. Is this really what Yukio always wanted? For him to never have inherited Satan's flames? And then there was that thing with Yukio's eyes that he could've sworn he saw. It was just for a second and Rin was still debating whether he imagined it or not.

Neron didn't seem to bothered by the gun pointed at him and instead mulled on something and then spoke to the two brothers.

"Hmm, It seems we have a bit of conundrum. I can't grant both your desires, for they contradict one another. But I'm sure we can find a compromise when the three of us can discuss further at Gotham."

"We ain't going anywhere, blondie!"

The Lord of Lies raised a brow at Rin.

"Excuse me?" he asked irritably.

Although he was currently human, Rin stood at pointed the now powerless Kurikara at the demon. For him, attacking and provoking Yukio was enough to decide that this demon was bad news.

"You heard me, I'm not buying what your selling! Now get the fuck out!"

Neron seethed from inside, The gall of this child! Yet again he treats and refers him like a common salesman! He ground his teeth and It looked like the demon was about to turn violent but surprisingly he instead he let out a sigh and calmly nodded.

"A pity, but understandable. But do think about what I said and what I can offer. And so, I leave you both with these."

A pair of candles, made of sickly yellowish wax and bedecked with intricate carvings, were conjured from thin air and floated towards the two brothers.

"If either of you reconsider, light the candle and I will return. Remember Rin, this is an opportunity of a lifetime for you, I suggest you think hard about what you might be missing."

"You might missing a few teeth if you keep hanging around here! Now Get!" barked Rin.

Neron didn't seem to react and instead gave a bow and a smile that looked like it belonged to a predator playing with its meal. And just like that, the demon disappeared through a summoned portal.

It seemed that whatever influence Neron had over Rin's powers seemed to have worn out as his usual demon form returned. When the older Okumura turned towards Yukio, he saw that his brother had already picked up one of the candles and eyed it intensely. Before Rin could question him about it, a familiar voice rang out.

"What the hell happened!?"

"Sh-Shura?" gasped Rin.

Shura walked towards them while nursing her ribs and Rin could see behind her that Kuro was also alright, just taking a nap (Rin would later exclaim that he couldn't believe that the Cat Sidhe slept through the whole thing!). Shura wasn't in the best of moods, not only did some stupid kid earlier try to sexually assault her but her pride was bruised because some demon easily knocked her unconscious. Needless to say, she was pissed!

"I want an explanation from both of you! NOW!"

* * *

It was the low guttural chanting that finally pierced through his numb state of unconsciousness and made Kouru stain his eyes open. He doesn't remember how long he's been asleep but it felt like hours, his memories were a blur since he ran towards the campus town. The room's brightness stung his eyes but soon his vision adjusted for him to notice that he was in some kind of large grand hall, the kind of venue that would be reserved for wedding but it didn't look like it was in use anymore. It was two storeys with a ruined mezzanine, and the yellow brightness came from multiple antique style light fixtures and a huge chandelier hung by interconnected metal beams overhead.

He turned his head towards the noise and saw rows of people dressed in strange red robes with cloaks obscuring their faces. They were hunched over and moaning in prayer, a cacophony that was beginning to rattle him. When he tried to move, he became aware that he was on a stage-like platform and that he was bound by his hand and feet to nailed stakes on the floor. He also found that under his sprawled body was some kind of circular glyph that was surrounded by lit candles!

"Oh good, you're awake. I guess we can begin now."

He looked to the voice and saw her looming over him with a large moonlit window behind her. She had pale skin with straight black hair curtaining the sides of her face and blood-red lips. Her green eyes were canopied by purple eye shadow and held a mixture of malice and mania that sent a shiver down Kouru's spine.

Her robes were red like the other people's but with ornate gold designs and had her shoulders exposed, at her waist was a belt with large pouches that was fastened tight enough for the outfit to cling to her frame. It seemed that she was much higher in the hierarchy compared to those in prayers.

"Where am I? Who are you people?" he croaked, his throat dry.

The woman didn't understand his native tongue and didn't bother responding. Instead, she knelt next to him and dragged one of her red fingernails over his chest.

"I've been told you have a Klasmon inside you, little boy. How on earth did you acquire one? It's a mystery to me. Nevertheless, we will be eternally grateful for your contribution."

Of course he didn't understand her either but from that sadistic smile of hers alone, he could tell she didn't have anything pleasant in mind for him. The woman stood up and with her arms raised, the noise stopped.

"Brothers and Sisters," she addressed. "A blessed night is upon us! Let us be humbled by this patron for not only the offering of his blood and soul but a valuable tool to help our cause. Truly he loves Xayona and Xayona loves him back. Our relationship with our Lord is one of mutual need for he will create a world free of hate and differences for us but will need our love and devotion for sustenance!"

With that the mass began chanting.

_"Xayona is the heart,_

_We are the blood,_

_The bones are his teachings,_

_And the flesh is his will!"_

Those words were chanted over and over as Kouru noticed another robed individual carrying a glass container like device. This person positioned himself behind behind the woman who then fished out a syringe filled with an orange liquid from one of the pouches from her belt. Yamasaki's eyes became saucers as she knelt next to him with a sick demented sneer, the needle in view glinting against the light.

"What is that? WHAT IS THAT!?" he yelled in panic.

"Hush, little baby..." she whispered as she jabbed the needle in his arm.

It was forceful enough to hurt and after pumping the orange liquid into his bloodstream, she extracted the needle but she wasn't done with him yet.

From another pouch, she took out what looked like a ceremonial dagger and positioned the blade high with the tip pointing downwards, prompting the chanting to become louder.

Fear immediately overtook Yamasaki's senses and his whole core told him of one dreaded certainty: that he was going to die tonight and there was nothing he could do about! His curses and panicked screams were drowned from loud chanting as well as the hammering of his own heart. He struggled, he yelled, he began to cry and for the first time in his life, he began to feel remorseful, sorry for all the misery he caused, for all those girls he hurt.

He then felt a strange sensation in his chest, like something wriggling and coiling and his body began to convulse while his throat emitted an inhuman hiss. His muscles contracted and sunk into his body, his teeth and ears grew into sharp points, his eyes turned red and multiple red pupil eyes began to open all over his face.

"There you are..." whispered the woman, licking her lips.

But then suddenly, the light fixtures around the hall were smashed consecutively by a spinning object and the room became dim, the light source being the chandelier above and the lit candles. The object lost its momentum and landed on its bladed edge next to the person carrying the glass container device who dropped it and backed away in fright.

The cultists immediately stopped their chanting and looked around in confusion, then started brandishing weapons like guns, knives and clubs. The woman picked up the bladed object and inspected it, it was black with sharp points and had a round core with a glowing light at the centre: perhaps a guidance system. But what was unusual was its shape, it looked like a bat!

It was in that instant when something large and dark dive-bombed from above and landed hard on one of the cult members in the middle, making everyone around reel in shock. The thing with pointed horns and glowing white eyes didn't even pause as it immediately targeted three of the cultists armed with guns. When it lunged towards one of them, the cult member reacted by pointing his weapon but the dark figure disarmed him by sharply twisting his arm and then used the momentum to hoist him in the air and slam him to the ground.

In a continuous motion, Batman flung two Batarangs; both bladed objects buried themselves into the arms of the other two armed cultists, making them drop their handguns in pain. Taking advantage of their staggering, he was quickly upon them and smashed their heads together and then sidestepped a knife slash behind him from another cult member. He retaliated by grabbing the assailant's arm and striking his elbow with an open palm, breaking the arm in an odd angle with a sickening crack. The cult member's scream of agony didn't last long as Batman followed up with a headbutt that sent him to the ground and then turned his attention to another cultist who rushed him, he dealt with him with a hard elbow to his face, hard enough to knock a few teeth off. He then deflected a club swung his way with his gauntlet before grabbing the wielder's head and bringing it against his knee, smashing the nose in the process.

The woman stood from where Kouru continued to writhe. Seeing the Dark Knight attack the cult members with such ferocity and fury quickened her blood flow. Her lips stretched into a sick grin as her fingers trailed towards one of the pouches on her belt, which began to twitch as her fingers neared it.

One of the brawnier cultist attempted to engage in close combat but Batman swerved away from the punches, caught his opponent in a leg sweep and began hammering him with his fists. As the Dark Knight was preoccupied, another cultist behind him picked up one of the dropped handguns and took aim but before he pulled the trigger, a chair was flung towards his side and knocked him over.

Batman immediately took notice and turned around as he stood, seeing the downed cult member.

"Always watch your blindside, mate."

He turned towards the voice that was ladened with an english scouse accent and narrowed his eyes. The man who threw the chair was a scruffy looking blonde individual wearing a dirty brown trenchcoat over a white shirt, dark pants and a loose red tie and a lit cigarette held with a shit-eating grin. Batman recognized and was unfortunately acquainted him, his name was John Constantine.

Batman immediately flung a Batarang in the direction of Constantine, prompting the urban magus to duck out of the way. Constantine looked back and realized that Batman was actually targeting the cult member behind him who was knocked out by the projectile.

"Right, my point exactly." he muttered.

"Why are you here?" Batman asked curtly while backhanding another cultist who tried ambushing him from behind.

"Hi yourself." said John dusting himself. "I'm on an unrelated case actually. But something tells me, considering how fucked up this party is, you're going to be needin' my services soon."

The sound of a lone applause brought both their attention towards the woman now standing in front of the writhing Kouru.

"Well done Batman and who ever you are but this is a private religious gathering, you have no right being here."

Batman gritted his teeth and took a step towards her with and accusing point of his finger.

"Your 'gathering' murdered over twenty innocent people including children!"

"Sacrifices, not murder. We all must make sacrifices, don't we?"

"Enough! Where's Blackfire!?"

The woman burst out laughing almost maniacally.

"As blessed this night is, the Reverend Deacon is much too busy with his teachings."

The woman's eyes became wild and was trained on Batman. Her sneer was wider and looked like the few threads of her sanity were slowly getting snipped.

"But no matter, I'm actually glad you showed up, you have quite the reputation here in Gotham; some even saying that you're a devil from hell, here to punish the wicked."

She finally reached into the pouch that twitched and uncovered what looked like the torn off end of a scorpion's tail but huge, almost the size of a grapefruit. Despite it being severed, it involuntarily spasmed like it still had life. Batman wondered how she came in possession of such a thing.

"But I've seen enough devils from hell to know you're nothing more than a charlatan, a glorified con-artist! And frauds like you need to be exposed."

She raised the stinger to her eye level as if offering a toast and her expression conveyed that her dementia had reached its apex.

"Let me show you what the dark really looks like, Dark Knight."

And then to Batman's astonishment, she pushed the scorpion tail towards her face and chomped down on its flesh. The stinger reacted by curling and stinging the woman's face and disturbingly, each sting brought about a horrific necrotic reaction to her skin but despite her face being disfigured, she kept chomping and pushing the thing into her mouth. Finally after consuming it, she hunched forward and billowing smoke from her robes completely enveloped her.

Batman primed a Batarang in his hand, readying himself for what might happen but to his surprise, a gust of air parted the smoke to reveal that the woman disappeared.

But there was something there! Batman could hear the sounds of something big slowly approaching him and could see the dust kicked off with each footstep. He cycled through the various vision-modes of his cowl lenses but to his shock, he still couldn't see anything. Infrared, nightvision, sonar, detection mode, none of his systems could perceive this thing!

"I think you'd better move a little to the left." warned Constantine.

Seeing Batman confused and only focusing on the kicked up dust made John decide to just tackle him away from the spot which then erupted from a large impact being made. Batman was befuddled at the sight. Whatever it was, it clearly had solid mass and was tangible but at the same time his instruments behaved as if this thing doesn't exist. How?

Constantine clicked his tongue and moved closer to Batman.

"Bloody hell, you really are as blind as your namesake aren't you?"

He steadied Batman's head with one hand while running two fingers over the cowl's eye sockets and then muttered a spell.

_"Eum videre invisibilis, Eos revelare quae prius in tenebris."_

A tingling sensation later, something began to fade into his view: it was a large quadruped almost eight feet in height, red fur clashing with black bony plates on its back that lead to a huge scorpion tail (which was responsible for the impact earlier). A shaggy dark mane encircled its head which was skull-like in appearance but had rows of sharp teeth and glowing red eyes within its sockets.

"What is that thing!?"

"That's a demon, a Manticore to be exact. One sting from its tail will cover your body with enough boils and sores to make you unrecognizable before you bleed out through every orifice including the unmentionable ones." Constantine gave Batman sideways glance and shrugged with a grin. "So it's best we swerve that, eh?"

The Manticore finally managed to release its tail from it hole it created on the floor and turned its focus towards the two. Batman flung his Batarang but to be expected, the demon simply swatted it away and began to slowly advance. From its behavior and the way it seemed to be toying with them, Batman could tell that the woman from earlier did indeed become this creature and was in full control of her actions. He mentally made a quick checklist of his inventory as he going to need his more heavy-duty arsenal if he was going to take on this foe.

To his side, he noticed that John had summoned six small fairy-like beings, they were small female humanoids with flat arms like wings and wind swept hair.

"Alright my lovelies, do this for me and I'll set you all up on a date with a serial arsonist." said John.

Batman watched as the six fairies flew like wasps rapidly buzzed around the Manticore, some cutting into her flesh, she tried to swat at them with her paws but they were too fast and small.

Constantine grunted, knowing that all he did was bring an annoying distraction to the beast.

"Those Slyphs aren't going to do shite but no worries, I have a plan."

Constantine then took out a chalk from his trenchcoat and Batman watched as he began to draw a magic circle on the floor.

"Do me a solid and keep 'er off my arse till I'm done." said John without looking up.

Batman then turned towards the beast who finished killing the last of the Slyphs with her stinger before locking her red eyes on him while emitting a combination of a roar and a hiss.

"How much time do you need?" he asked

"Oh about two, three minutes. Maybe four depending."

"Great." he responded dryly.

Thinking fast, Batman surprised the demon by sprinting towards her, she lunged at him but he skirted to the side and vaulted over her. While he was in the air, he brandished three Batarangs on each hand and flung them all. The six projectiles embedded themselves on the bony plates of the Manticore's back and, followed by rapid beeps and flashing lights, exploded just as Batman landed.

He could see that the explosions only stunned her but felt that at least his actions ensured that her attention would remain on him and away from John, he still wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

When she recovered, she lunged at him again but he threw down a smoke bomb and then used his grapple line to pull himself towards the other end of the room where there was light fixture. It was time for him to initiate plan B and he wasn't sure if it was going to work but he hadn't prepared for an event like this so he was going to have to make do with what little tools he had access to.

After ripping out the light fixture, he pulled out a long wire from his gauntlets and fastened it to the live wires sticking out of the wall, the insulation of his suit protecting him from the electricity. He didn't have time to test his configuration as she was at him again. Quickly, he kicked off the wall to gain an aerial advantage over her and with two electrical prongs extended from his knuckles, he slammed both his fists on her head, sending a huge surge of voltage through her.

The Manticore let out a thunderous shriek as electricity coursed through her body. Batman's actions have even resulted in the lights of the chandelier flickering on and off but the Demon seemed to be fighting against the pain. Batman dug the prongs deeper into her head, trying to pump as much voltage into her as possible.

_"Stay down, You crazy bitch!" he thought angrily._

Unfortunately, she wouldn't. She instead primed her stinger ready to impale her prey, this didn't go unnoticed by the Dark Knight as he immediately jumped out of the way of the deadly tail which impacted the wall.

She shook off the effects the electric shock and went at him with her tail again. Batman flipped out of the way but the appendage continued to lash out rapidly trying to tag him with the stinger. He barely managed to dodge every strike, each of which creating holes on the floor but she wasn't done yet as the stinger began to shoot nine inch barbs at him.

Thinking fast, Batman grabbed a nearby chair and shielded himself from four of those barbs. Plan B might have failed but he kept in mind that the goal was to stall the Manticore rather than defeat it, until Constantine was ready to do whatever it is he needed to do. But just as he put his mind to work to come up with another plan, he noticed that the demon paused for a moment and the glowing red orbs within her black sockets shifted sideways.

The beast glanced behind her at Constantine hurriedly drawing a complex magic circle and only now realized the real danger that was kept from her notice. Batman's eyes widened in alarm seeing the Manticore about face and charge at Constantine and reacted by using his grapple gun to pull himself atop of the above chandelier and then while anchoring himself, fired the line again and snagged the hook on the demon's tail.

He quickly and securely fastened the other end of the line to the spindle before there was a chance for him being pulled off and sure enough, the large chandelier was violently tugged and the large chain that was attached to the metal beam strained but managed to hold on as the Manticore was barely able to reach Constantine of the magic circle with her claws.

"Cuttin' it a little close there, mate." John called out.

"Just shut-up and do your thing!" yelled Batman in response.

The Manticore tried clawing her way towards the circle but it was futile. She turned her head in agitation towards the chandelier and the line that held her tail and in move that surprised the Dark Knight, she let out a frustrated roar before leaping up towards the chandelier and grabbing the radial arms with her claws. The demon's weight was enough for the chain to finally snap and bring the doomed light fixture along with Batman crashing down. With the last of the yellow lights gone, the room was plunged into near darkness and the only light source now being the moon outside the window.

"Bollocks..." Constantine murmured as he flicked a cigarette lighter on and continued his scribbling.

With a pained groan, Batman crawled out of the wrecked tangle of metal, broken glass and crystal but he didn't get far; a growl/hiss brought his attention behind him where a skull-like visage rose into view and suddenly rushed at him with its maw open.

He found himself scooped into her mouth but quickly used his arms and legs to keep her jaws open. He gritted his teeth and pushed against her own but despite his own strength, he was beginning to feel strained from the fight against her jaw muscles and was slowly feeling his knees buckle. Then from the floor of her mouth came a long, green, pointed tongue which slithered over him and even stroked his exposed face, coating him in sticky slime as a mocking purr followed by a snigger sounded from the abyss before him. With resolve, he managed to lift one of his legs and activate a mechanism that extended a spike from the side of his boot which he brought down hard on the tongue.

With a loud pain-fueled roar, the Manticore released her prey from her mouth. Unfortunately before Batman could put some distance between them, she came at him with rage and swatted him hard with her paws. He was sent crashing towards the wall and fell to the floor, winded. His vision began to blur and he struggled to prop himself up with his arms. The demon snarled and primed her tail, she was done toying with him and was ready to deliver the killing blow when a voice called out to her.

"Oi, Luv! Aren't you forgetting something?"

The demon sharply turned towards the voice and the red orbs began to fill those dark sockets, if her bony brows could raise it would for she could see Constantine standing atop of a glowing finished magic circle and uttering an incantation that sounded Akkadian, it wasn't a fatal verse but she felt it was something much worse.

She immediately dashed towards him and seeing this, John upped the tempo of the incantation. It was a mere six seconds but in that time he had got enough words out for the glow of the circle to illuminate the hall and just as the Manticore reached the circle was when he reached the conclusion.

The result was a bright wave of light that flowed from the edges of the circle and filled the whole building. Batman had to squint to not be overcome by the blinding intensity and he could barely hear her muffled dying roar. His already blurred senses were being further dulled by the intense energy to the point of being disorientated until he finally lost consciousness.

He let out a groan when he finally came to and pushed himself up. He could see from the sky outside the window that it wouldn't be long before the sun rose and wondered just how long was he out. He rubbed his head through the cowl, still feeling a bit sore and could only assume that whatever that Constantine did seemed to affect regular people as well as the supernatural. Speaking of John, Batman spotted him across the room tying up with rope the last group of cultists who appear to be still unconscious. John noticed him and waved with a smirk.

"Morning. While you were out, I saved you the trouble of tying up our merry band of meffs. Though I can't say the same for her."

Batman looked where he gestured to see lying near the drawn circle was what remained of the woman from earlier. The demon that she forced to possess her was gone, leaving behind a horribly disfigured corpse. It wasn't a pretty sight and he knew that Gordon and the men in white were going to have a field day when they arrive here.

"And him?" asked Batman as he walked towards where Kouru was tied down.

After finishing his knot, Constantine joined him with his hands in his pockets. The japanese boy laid there dead with his eyes wide open and dried foam at the edges of his open mouth, his body looked dry and a little wrinkly like it was dehydrated, almost like a hollow husk. John sighed at the sight.

"Right, him. Poor sod didn't make it but the spell I casted can banish the unsavories within a mile radius so at least he's free from whatever that was inside him."

Batman's eyes narrowed at this, he thought back to the nature of John's "plan" that he was roped into and realized that something didn't quite add up.

"That wasn't a coincidence. The spell you casted...it was intended for him all along, wasn't it?" he asked accusingly.

Constantine paused with seemingly no emotion but then chuckled.

"Guilty as charged, mate. I may have the nouse for this sort of thing but Manticores are another story, so I figure why waste all that energy on one bird when I can kill two with one large over-complicated stone."

Batman shot him a dangerous glare. He didn't appreciate have to risk his neck as a distraction just so this man didn't have to 'waste energy'. Constantine grimaced at the look he was receiving.

"Oh go on, don't look at me like that. 'Sides you almost being her chew toy, it all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

The Dark Knight wanted to fire back at him, among other things but he restrained himself since he felt he wasn't getting the full picture.

"What was possessing him?" He asked gesturing at Kouru. "You wouldn't cast a spell that powerful if you weren't expecting anything dangerous!"

"Does it really matter? It's gone now." said Constantine with a shrug.

He glared at the liverpudlian with suspicion before turning silently towards Kouru's body. As he looked over the victim and the glyph underneath, his mind raced; this was initially a case involving a deluded cult murdering people in the name of sacrifice but now he had demons, possessions and monsters thrown in to the mix. It brought the case to a completely different light and he wasn't sure what to make of it yet but his will to find answers and bring those responsible to justice hadn't diminished.

Feeling awkward with the silence, John decided to announce his leave.

"Chipper as always I see. Right then, looks like my work here is done so if you excuse me..."

John turned to leave but on his way out he was halted as the Dark Knight called out with a deep authoritative voice.

"Constantine."

The two men turned and faced each other with Batman's glare ever present.

"I know you well enough to know that you're untrustworthy and are willing to jeopardize innocent lives for the sake of your own agendas. I will not tolerate that in my city. But I still have questions for you so for the time being, don't leave town."

Constantine chuckled and lit a cigarette.

"So that's what it takes to get a personal invite from the Batman? I'll be sure to pass that info along to your mates in the capes and tights community."

"If you cause any trouble..."

"Relax, I'll be behave. If you need me, I'll somewhere in the Cauldron havin' a bevvy. Cheers!"

With a wave, Constantine made his exit. Batman turned and knelt down to thoroughly inspect Kouru's body, there was still time till dawn and he would use that time to gather as much clues as he could. His investigation thus far has opened a can of worms but he vowed that he was going to get to the bottom of it all, he only hoped it wouldn't lead to more complications.

* * *

The chairman of the True Cross Order Japanese branch bore wide eyes and a wide smile on his face as he listened to the Okumura Brothers recount their earlier experience. Mephisto's reaction wasn't what they had expected and if one were to describe his expression, it was like he was a giddy kid in a candy shop; Rin was sure if the Headmaster had less self control, he'd see him bouncing in his seat with glee.

"I see. And you say his name was Neron? Very interesting..."

"Sir Pheles, do you know this demon?" asked Yukio.

Mephisto put a finger against his goatee, cast his eyes upward and gave a long, drawn out "Hmmmm", making the brothers wait with bated breaths.

"Not a clue." he finally said with a shrug.

Rin, who already had his patience stretched thin, snapped at that point.

"Then why were you thinking for so long!? And that's Bullshit! You always know what's going on around here!"

The Chairman shot Rin a dangerous look.

"Okumura-kun, please don't use that tone with me." he said darkly.

Yukio remembered the last time, when they met Mephisto in his office after their trip to Inari, Rin tried to get into an altercation with him and it didn't end well. So he cleared his throat, hoping to steer the subject elsewhere.

"I tried looking up that name in the Order's database but couldn't find anything."

Mephisto nodded.

"There's a good reason for that. If neither I or the Grigori have any knowledge about him then it's likely that he's an Ancient."

"An Ancient?" asked Rin.

"You see, Gehenna wasn't always Gehenna. At least not in the way we've known it for five thousand years or so. There were once a separate class of demons long before the time of Satan and the eight kings. They're quite an antiquated bunch who specialized in the soul-trade until Satan came into power and abolished such practices."

Yukio was stunned to learn that there were demons that existed before Satan, it made him wonder just how much knowledge did the Grigori really share about Gehenna, was there more information that the other members of the Order didn't know about? All the talk about Satan's rule reminded Rin about what Neron said his plans were.

"He said something about an uprising, against Satan."

Mephisto gave an expression that resembled mock astonishment.

"You don't say? My, that's quite an undertaking! Wouldn't be the first time a demon attempted to overthrow father though."

Mephisto then leered towards Rin, making the boy uncomfortable.

"Still, he is an Ancient and he's trying to recruit you, which makes sense. After all, my proposal to the Vatican was to use you as a weapon. So if one were stage a revolt against Satan, using you as cannon fodder would be the way to do it."

Rin hated being referred to as a weapon and hated being called 'cannon fodder' even more.

"Grrr...Why you..!" he growled.

"How did he even get in here? Past the barrier?" Yukio interrupted.

"My guess is that someone summoned him. Which reminds me, my staff informed me that the security cameras of the Deep Keep was turned off earlier today. Also, Shibata-san has gone missing and no one had been able reach him so far. Honestly, humans can be so unreliable sometimes."

Yukio inwardly gulped, these weren't good signs and the feeling that something terrible happened rose inside him. However, Mephisto didn't seem to to pay it much heed and was instead more interested in Rin's encounter with Neron.

"But back to the matter at hand, you said Neron can grant wishes for a price. What did he want in return?"

"He wanted me to come with him to Gotham City. Where is this place anyway? Somewhere in Hokkaido or Kyushu or something?" responded Rin.

Both Mephisto and Yukio looked at Rin incredulously like he grew a second head.

"Rin, Gotham City is in America." explained Yukio.

Rin reacted with immediate surprise.

"W-What!? He wanted me to go abroad!?"

Rin never imagined traveling to another country. Even though technically, he was inside the Vatican that one time but that was a different experience. He couldn't help but feel a little excited about the idea.

Mephisto wagged his finger with a know-it-all smile.

"It's not just any place in America. Gotham City is one of United State's most crime ridden populates and is also the home of the Batman, one of the members of the Justice League." he said.

This immediately brightened Rin's face and made him almost stand up, his eyes and smile was wide with excitement.

"No way, the Justice League!? That means I can meet one of them!"

Yukio shook his head at this. Rin looks almost like he did when he used to idolize those heroes as a kid. He supposed that them along with his adopted father helped mold his elder brother's naive and idealistic outlook.

Rin suddenly snapped out of excitement and began to ponder on something.

"But wait, is this Batman guy really one of them? I know Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern..." he wondered.

"Don't you remember, Rin? He's the one who's always in the background." Yukio said.

Rin thought back to when he used to see every documented photo and footage of the League that was available on the internet. Now that he thought about it, there was this shadowy horn-headed figure constantly skulking around in the background, like he was aware of the camera and tried to keep out of it's sight. Rin mused that he was probably camera shy.

"I think you should take Neron's offer." said Mephisto.

The two brothers reeled back at such a suggestion but Mephisto continued to elaborate.

"On the surface. You can take this opportunity to learn what he's planning and who knows? You might find the trip enlightening."

Rin frowned at this.

"You mean spy on them? Forget it! No way I'm gonna be another Shima!"

"With all due respect Sir Pheles, allowing Rin to go into enemy territory is too dangerous. And wouldn't it be better to let the American branch handle it?" asked Yukio.

Mephisto suddenly burst out laughing at that point which left both Rin and Yukio confused.

"Ho ho, the American branch he said..." the chairman slouched forward laughing some more settling down.

"My dear boy, the American branch is the weakest branch of the Order."

Seeing that the two boys had no idea what that meant, Mephisto decided to elucidate.

"Let me explain something, the United States is something of a weirdness-magnet. Alien invasions and super powers aside, it's also home to a majority of the most powerful mystical beings on the planet. These beings are monitored by a cosmic force known as the Lords of Order. The True Cross Order were once allied with these Lords but we have since parted ways and mutually agreed to not interfere in each other's affairs."

Mephisto continued with a shrug and a sly smile.

"And it makes sense too! I mean, who would need Exorcists when you have beings like Doctor Fate and the Phantom Stranger stomping around in your backyard?"

Rin raised a brow while having a gobsmacked expression.

"Doctor who and the Phantom what?"

"So what you're saying is the Order has less of a presence there because of these people?" Yukio clarified.

Mephisto nodded and when Yukio thought about it further, it made sense to him. He always wondered why the only branch in the U.S was an office in New York. There were members the Order who were native to United States like Osceola Redarm and Levin Light but the former was the head of the Mexican branch and the latter, well, it wasn't clear which of the known branches he was associated with.

Coming back to the original topic, Mephisto put his hands up in mock surrender.

"But it's just my opinion. It's up to Rin if he's willing to take the risk. But in the meantime Mister Okumura, please look into this security issue. I find it most distressing."

"Yes sir." nodded Yukio.

Just as Rin and Yukio were about to leave the office, Mephisto called out to Yukio.

"Oh and one more thing, Mister Okumura."

Yukio turned back to see Mephisto lean back on his chair, interlocking his fingers with a smirk on his face.

"It seems you have been engaging in some 'Dangerous Training' lately."

Yukio gritted his teeth and his throat seized up while his older brother stared at him curiously.

"Training is always good as long as it's not life threatening. After all, we wouldn't want to loose one our finest, now would we?" said Mephisto with a wagging finger and a wink.

_"Damnit! How did he know!?"_ thought Yukio.

Quickly excusing himself, the younger Okumura marched out of the office with his elder brother trailing behind.

With the brothers out of sight, Mephisto chuckled as he interlocked his fingers.

"Neron, huh? Things are about to get quite interesting with you back on the playing field."

Outside the office, Rin tried to catch up to Yukio who looked like he was in a hurry.

"Yukio, what was he talking about?" he asked.

"Not now, Rin!" Yukio hissed. "I'm busy! I'll come by the dorm later."

With that, Yukio quickly went on his way, leaving behind a bewildered Rin. Rin wanted to chase after him and demand to know what was going on with him. What is this "Dangerous training" Mephisto was talking about? Was he really afraid of what Rin might become like Neron said? And those eyes...Rin still couldn't figure out if he imagined it or not.

All those thoughts were dismissed when he noticed Shura standing on the side of the hallway with her phone to her ear.

"...So it's done?"

He heard her ask the person on the other line, her expression being stony. After about a minute, she let out a short breath and her face turned grim.

"Guess it can't be helped." she said bitterly. "But anyway, we're even...Right, I'll be in touch."

With that she hung up as Rin approached and got her attention.

"You doing okay, Shura? I mean, with everything that happened today?" he asked.

Rin wasn't exactly a master at discretion. In fact, he didn't even know the meaning of the word and she knew he was referring to only her brief skirmish with Neron but her ordeal from before. Shura kept her expression neutral as she kept her eyes on him.

"Fine. 'Cept for one thing."

Before he knew it, she had him in tight headlock.

"What the hell were you thinking taking on that demon by yourself!?" she scolded.

"Gah! Let go of me, Boob-Kong!"

After some struggling, he managed to pull out from her grip.

"Yeesh, how about some appreciation!? I did save you from that creep earlier!" Rin snapped.

Shura immediately shot a deadly glare at him, making him freeze and swallow involuntarily. He had never seen her look this angry before.

"I don't remember asking for your help." she said finally.

With that, she turned around and walked off. Rin was left alone scratching his head in confusion.

_"First Yukio and now Shura? What the hell is going on with those two?"_

**TBC**


	3. Once upon a Midnight Dreary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me this long to update. Some new characters are getting introduced this chapter, particularly Raven. You might find her portrayal a bit different from what you're used to. Her personality is basically like a combination of the animated series version and the comics version with some influence taken from New 52 and Rebirth. I've also tweaked her origin to better fit with the Ao no Exorcist universe.

It was the sudden sound of curtains parting and the rays of daylight hitting his face that awoke Bruce Wayne from a dreamless slumber. His face scrunched in discomfort before he pushed himself up from his bed and cracked his eyes open.

By the curtains and sunlight was Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce's loyal butler and friend. The world weary British had previously served in the RAMC as well as the SAS before becoming a member of the household when Bruce was but a mere child and was the closest thing to a father figure ever since the death of his parents. Bruce honestly felt lucky to have such a tolerant dear friend like him in his chaotic life, even though the British man's sass can get on his nerves sometimes.

"What time is it?" Bruce murmured.

"A little after eleven. You have slept for a total of three hours and twenty minutes; in your case, one might consider that a milestone."

As Alfred spoke, Bruce had already walked from the bed to the center of the room where he began his usual routine of stretching exercises, tightening and loosening his muscles and creating audible popping noises. During his routine, Bruce looked back at Alfred and smirked when he finished speaking.

"Really? I was close reaching four? And here I was thinking you were concerned for your master's well being, old friend." he said jokingly.

"Nothing would make me more giddy as a schoolboy than for you to have a good night's rest, Master Wayne."

Alfred's tone may have been monotonously sarcastic but Bruce knew that he meant it, the butler had more than once expressed with exasperation that he wished his master would take better care of himself. He felt bad for making him worry but this was the life he had chosen and Alfred, for better or worse, saw it through with him.

"But your presence is expected at today's board meeting. The same meeting you had already delayed three times before. Needless to say, the board members have been rather...antsy since your absence."

Bruce got the message and begrudgingly agreed that this was one meeting he couldn't skip this time. With his stretching routine done, Bruce dropped to his knees and with the support of his arms, pushed his legs up into a handstand and began a steady repetition of handstand push-ups.

"Besides, you would've had opportunities to sleep longer if I didn't need to drag you from the computer when I entered the cave this morning. Might I ask what happened last night?" asked Alfred.

"You might but I don't think you'd believe me." Bruce said, grunting a little each time he pushed his body up.

"After witnessing everything you've seen and done over the years, I assure you the scale of my beliefs can be well accommodating."

Bruce did about twenty reps before slowly bringing his knees down and settling himself in a sitting position.

"Do you believe in demons, Alfred?" he finally asked.

"Are we talking about the emotional aspect or quite literal?"

"The latter."

"Ah, of course we are." the elderly British droned, almost rolling his eyes.

He almost forgets that he lives in a world of Kryptonians, Amazons and Speedsters so the concept of demonic beings shouldn't come as a surprise.

"Well sir, I can't say that I've actually seen one in the physical sense but I have witnessed and heard of some peculiar events. One that comes to mind was when I was deployed to South Georgia. It was after we had retaken Grytviken from the Argentinians, our return home was delayed due to freak weather conditions and unusual choppy seas so we decided to spend the night with a local whaling community. During that night, we had awoken to a loud commotion. We had first thought it was the Argentinians but it wasn't."

Bruce turned and noticed how the elderly British paused and furrowed his brow as he recalled that event. He appeared a little troubled.

"To be honest, none of us were sure of what we saw. I remember seeing the town flooded with a torrent of water rich in blood, gale force winds, houses toppling over as if hit by large force and a horrible stench in the air. It looked like the end of the world."

Alfred seemed to muse over this for a while until he snapped out of it and continued his tale.

"Our movement to investigate was halted by a group of men claiming to be priests. I managed to strike a conversation with one of them and he told me that this was the work of a powerful demon."

Bruce stood up, his natural instinct was to offer a rational explanation for such a tale. The bloody water could just be the result of a red algae bloom akin to the red tide phenomenon or iron-rich water trapped in the antarctic ice.

"I know what you're thinking, sir." Alfred said with a knowing nod. "And at the time, I too was skeptical but the following morning we had seen that the water and winds had receded so we took a sample of the water and confirmed that it was indeed blood, whale blood. But that wasn't all, satellite images indicated that this was an isolated incident, nowhere else on the island was this phenomenon present."

Alfred moved forward and gave Bruce a pat on the shoulder.

"If it is demons you're dealing with then I implore you to take care, Master Wayne. They seem to be a troublesome lot."

With that, Alfred excused himself to allow Bruce to get ready. The billionaire CEO wasted no time brushing his teeth, having a hot shower and then began to change into his usual business suit which Alfred had pressed and ready for him.

As he buttoned his crisp white shirt, the detective side of his mind began to nag him and he felt frustrated that he had to repress the urge to continue investigating. As a means to pacify himself, he recapped everything he knew so far about the case in his mind; this mental exercise was often helpful in giving him a new perspective.

First, he focused on the Church of Xayona. From his prior research, he learnt the cult's history began around 1890 in Gotham at a time when western adopted Esoterica and Hermeticism were all the rage. Their beliefs were all kinds pseudo-mystic nonsense surrounding the central worship of a deity called Xayona, described as an amalgamation of all gods, who would deliver them from a world of suffering into one of absolute spiritual and material fulfillment. They were ridiculed even by other sects and with their already dwindling membership, had faded into obscurity.

The cult hadn't been heard of since until two months ago when the ritual killings began. More accurately, they had only learnt of the cult's existence after Batman tracked some of the members to a small communion and managed to apprehend three of them. At the station, they confessed about their allegiance and the human sacrifices but absolutely refused to talk about anything further. He doubted that the recent bunch whom he incapacitated last night would be any different.

The clues he found that linked to Harry and his gang was the break he needed; he now knows that they're led by a deacon going by the name Blackfire. Considering all the muscle they were able to hire, Bruce surmised that they had a strong financial backing and if he could follow the money trail, he could shut this group down once and for all.

Bruce frowned as he finished straightening his tie, his train of thought had finally arrived at the events last night which brought some strange twists to this case.

First he focused on the victim. A young male of Japanese origin, he wasn't killed like the others and had apparently underwent some kind of possession but surprisingly, that wasn't the strangest thing.

The only personal effects the victim had were a wallet and a phone. The wallet had some Japanese yen and a student ID identifying him as Kouru Yamasaki, a student at True Cross Academy in Tokyo; there was no passport, travel documents or local currency, no indication that this boy was traveling. The same could be said about his phone. The last couple of photos in the memory, all candid shots of a woman, were taken in Japan mere hours before his death. It was like he was literally plucked from Japan and brought here but how was that possible? Teleportation? He was also injected with some kind of drug. Bruce recovered the empty syringe from the scene but he had so far been unsuccessful in identifying the chemical compound.

This brought the woman cult member to mind. Facial recognition from the footage taken via cowl lenses identified her as Rebecca Hartway. Born in Oak Hill West Virginia, apparently has a history of mental problems including psychosis and schizophrenia, was undergoing treatment but then disappeared off the map only to reappear years later in Gotham. Interestingly, she was last employed at Lux Pharmaceuticals, the same company that was raided by Mr. Freeze recently. A strange coincidence? In any case, it's worth looking into if there is a connection. The company's CEO, Mike Bergeron, had once requested a meet-up with Bruce Wayne and maybe now was the time to oblige him.

With that mental note out of the way, his thoughts finally arrived at the appearance of John Constantine and his encounter with the demon.

Bruce still didn't know what to make of it all just yet but it certainly brought the case into a different light if supernatural elements were involved. Perhaps he should request assistance from some his fellow Justice League members who were experts on the occult. On the other hand, that may not be necessary with Constantine now in the picture. However, he was personally not thrilled to be dealing with him, he had heard that the man put the entirety of London in peril just to get rid of a curse placed on him.

Bruce banished his thoughts as he put on his suit jacket. He decided that talking to Constantine would be the next course of action. He'll also be sure to keep him at arms length and let him know the painful consequence of what happens if he endangers anyone in Gotham.

"Master Wayne?" Alfred called out as he entered the room.

"I'm almost done, Alfred. You can bring the car out front."

"Well and good sir but you have a visitor waiting for you."

Bruce paused and eyed his butler curiously as he noticed that despite the impassive guise, there was in twinkle in the British man's eye. He briefly wondered who could it possibly be? At this time of day? Who apparently Alfred was fondly familiar with. He got his answer after following the butler to the living room, sitting on the sofa was someone he hadn't seen in quite some time.

"Tim?"

A boy of age seventeen (soon to be eighteen) with messy black curtaining hair stood seeing his mentor and adopted father. His name was Timothy Drake, once served under Bruce as the third 'Robin' after Jason Todd's apparent death, he now goes by the moniker 'Red Robin'.

Bruce was well aware of the painful circumstances that led to Tim leaving the Wayne household, namely the death of his biological father and what happened with Stephanie Brown, and supported him in any way he could. Since then, Tim had moved to New York where he had formed the second incarnation of the Teen Titans in Dick's stead. Although Bruce had been keeping tabs on him and his team, it's been almost two years since they'd last seen each other face to face.

"Um, Hi." "Hey." they both said simultaneously then bit back and stayed silent for a moment.

Alfred rolled his eyes seeing what he felt was unnecessary awkwardness between not only comrades but father and son.

"Well this is a touching moment. Pity I didn't bring my camera." he droned.

Bruce coughed and reverted to his more hardened persona.

"What are you doing back in Gotham? It's not like you to show up without a call."

"Well, it's not like you to answer them." Tim said lightheartedly with a chuckle and then met Bruce's eyes with seriousness. "Do you have a minute? There something I need to talk to you about."

"Can it wait? I'm due in the office and..."

"If I may, Sir?" Alfred interrupted. "Why not let Master Timothy join us and the two of you discuss on the way? I can then return to the manor along with him."

Like before, Bruce eyed his butler with scrutiny.

"Weren't you the one telling me about the board members being antsy?"

"I had called Mister Fox beforehand to let them know you'll be fashionably late as usual. The board is well aware of your attendance record, Master Wayne. One can be certain that they can afford to be antsy for twenty more minutes."

Tim couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.  _"Same ol' Alfred."_ he thought. The older gentleman may be concerned about Bruce's responsibilities to Wayne Industries but wouldn't hesitate prioritizing any opportunity for him to bond with his "family". Bruce had a tendency to drive away anyone who got close too to him and so the butler took it upon himself to make sure he keeps whatever family he has left.

With the British man's prodding, Bruce and Tim were seated at the back of the limo while he made sure to take the scenic route towards the office. For a while, the two sat in silence until Bruce took the initiative to start a conversation.

"How are things in New York?"

Tim nodded and let out a breath, having anticipated that this question was probably going to be asked first.

"Good, all things considered. Life in city has bounced back to normal and the Titans continue to help however they can. I'm sure you must've heard about the incident that happened early last month?"

How could he not? He was sure the League would've intervened if they weren't busy handling the crisis on New Genesis. But Tim and his Titans proved to be well capable of handling the threat and in the end, the day was saved and the Teen Titans were victorious, but it didn't come without great cost.

"I've heard." Bruce confirmed. "I also know that you lost a member of your team. I'm...sorry about your loss."

Tim said nothing and simply furrowed his brow as he glanced downwards. He knew that Bruce sympathized; After all, he lost Jason and was no stranger to tragedy but it didn't make Tim feel any better. The boy took a breath as if steeling himself before looking back up and locking his eyes with Bruce's.

"I sure you guessed by now that this isn't a social call so I'll get right down to it: I need your help."

Tim continued, seeing that he had Bruce's attention.

"One of my teammates have gone missing and I have reason to believe she's in Gotham."

"She? Is it Sandsmark?"

Tim shook his head with a small smile.

"Nah, Cassie was the one I left in charge when I left."

Bruce couldn't help but frown slightly; from what he learnt about new Teen Titans, Cassandra Sandsmark didn't seem like someone he would consider 'leader material' but Diana trusts her so that's something.

"You've not met her yet, she goes by 'Raven'. She's..."

"The Empath." Bruce stated almost darkly.

Tim swallowed a bit. The truth of that matter was that despite Bruce keeping tabs on him (something Tim was well aware of), neither he nor the League know about Raven's true nature and origins and Tim wanted it to stay that way. In fact, he and the other Titans only found about it a week before the attack on New York but she was still their friend and they would always have her back. Regardless of what Raven thinks of herself, Tim felt that she was one the most compassionate individuals he ever met and knew about the danger she would be in if the League found out about her.

"What makes you think she's here?" Bruce asked.

"Because her mother used to live here."

"And?"

Tim shrugged.

"That's pretty much it. I found her room a complete mess but it seemed that she was researching the whereabouts of her mother and the clues she left behind indicated that Gotham was her destination."

Bruce narrowed he eyes, he was previously under the impression that she was kidnapped or something of the kind.

"Tim, you're making it sound like she came here on her own accord. If that's so then don't you think..."

Feeling himself about to lose control over the conversation, Tim interrupted with a prepared argument that he thought might win Bruce's favor.

"Look, the thing is...she's been going through a lot since that battle last month. She's not just an Empath, Bruce. She's potentially the most powerful member of the team. She can not only read emotions, she can also alter and change the emotions of others. In the state she is in right now, she can be a danger to not only herself but others as well."

He didn't mean to sound so pragmatic but he had a use the kind of language that Bruce would understand and it seemed to have worked since Bruce nodded in agreement. Bruce was personally annoyed that not only did he have a killer cult, Mister Freeze and demons to deal with but now a hormonal meta as well.

"The mother, what's her name?" he asked.

"Angela Roth."

"I know that name."

"You should. You worked a case involving her five years ago, it's the same case that Raven was researching."

He remembered, it was one of the few cold cases he had. It was around the time the Justice League was formed, a group of teenagers were found massacred in one of their usual "squat houses" and Angela was the only one of them who went missing from the scene. It wasn't impossible that Angela had a child this whole time, except for one thing...

_"Angela Roth was 16 years old at the time. How the hell could she give birth to a daughter who's now a teenager!?"_ he thought.

There was something else that Tim wanted to suggest to Bruce and he wasn't sure how he would react but decided to go for it.

"Bruce, I didn't want to just show up without you knowing about it and nobody knows that case or this city better than you, I wouldn't have asked otherwise. But I also know that you've been busy lately, with the recent murders going around and I thought maybe we could help each other. If I can assist in any way, I'll do so however long you need me to."

Tim didn't want to sound too hopeful as he knew that Bruce wasn't the type to accept offered help. But Bruce actually considered it, thinking about it made him realize that he really was handling everything in Gotham without the rest of the Bat-clan; they all seemed busy with something lately.

Dick has his hands full in Bludhaven, Barbara is with the Birds on a mission in Taiwan, Jason is who knows where along with those "Outlaws" of his, Kate is MIA and Damian...

Bruce internally sighed while thinking of his biological son. He figured that the boy still needed to figure some things out on his own. Maybe it was brought about by nostalgia but he couldn't help but think about when Tim found out about his secret identity and tried over and over to persuade him to allow him to join in his crusade, that the Batman needed a Robin, needed a partner.

"Alright." he finally said.

Tim blinked, not expecting him to so easily agree.

"Really?"

Bruce nodded.

"We'll work together on this. There have been some recent developments in Gotham and the murders have become a little more...complicated than I expected."

And so he gave Tim a brief rundown of the Church's ritual killings and the recent developments but he carefully omitted the parts about demons and possessions. He decided to only disclose those details once he had a good idea about the situation. For the time being, he wanted to approach this like any other case.

"I hope your Japanese is on point because I need you to find out everything about a boy from Japan named Kouru Yamasaki. He's was studying in a place called True Cross Academy and..."

Bruce trailed off when he noticed something outside the car. Tim noticed the way Bruce's eyes widened and jaw dropped and was beginning to feel alarmed himself.

"Alfred, stop the car!" Bruce commanded.

The limo screeched to a halt and Bruce immediately got out, looking a little shaken.

"Bruce, what is it!?" Tim called out after him.

Bruce saw them from car. He first thought they were just a flock birds and that his eyes were playing tricks on him. But outside, he could see more them flying everywhere. They had serpentine bodies with wings and human like faces. They were actually Itsumades, a type of low level demons.

It wasn't only them. Bruce noticed there were other strange creatures, in various shapes and sizes, traversing all around him. Trained exorcists would be able to identify some of them as Coal Tars, Goblins, Chuchis, Ghouls, Pixies and Kobolds. For one studying demons, it would've been exciting seeing so many of different types gathered in one area but Bruce was anything but excited.

He also noticed that all the other commuters and pedestrians didn't seem aware of these creatures, as if to them they didn't exist. He was starting to wonder if he was hallucinating the whole thing, inhaled Scarecrow's Fear Toxin or was mind-jacked by the Mad Hatter but he knew that wasn't the case.

There was one more thing that didn't escape his attention: a clear pattern about the movement of these creatures, it was something that was starting to worry him.

They were all heading towards the city.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Tim and Alfred, both worriedly looking at him and unaware of the 'migration' around them.

"What's wrong?" asked Tim.

Bruce wasn't sure.

* * *

High above the skies was the Dominus Liminis. A massive airship, this technological marvel was the result of years of aeronautic and demonic research and currently served as the mobile command center of the Illuminati, keeping them hidden from worldview.

Within the aircraft was a large room surrounded by interior lotus canals where the Demon King of light and Commander-in-Chief, Lucifer resided. He appeared as a frail young blond man and was sitting up on a hospital bed with tubes that were connected to strangely shaped pillars attached to his flesh.

By his side was Homare Todo, Adeptus Major and captain of the Phosphorus elite guard, a woman of average height with dark neck-length hair with the bangs in front of her face dyed blond and right side of those bangs pulled back and held with a clip. Despite maintaining a stern and serious expression behind a pair of glasses, she was feeling beyond irritated because she and the commander were currently conversing with a certain someone via a large display monitor.

That someone was a raven haired woman wearing an Illuminati style uniform with a red cape and curiously had the left side of her face hidden by a white half-mask. She called herself Mazikeen (a name that Todo was certain wasn't her real one), a higher rank superior heading one of their American Laboratories and for some reason the woman was deluded into thinking herself as the commander's wife!

Homare personally couldn't stand her and felt that she was just another Michael Gedoin; someone who didn't know their place and had the gall to address the commander so personally. Much to her chagrin, Lucifer trusted her with almost all their operations in the U.S but now she was sure that trust would come into question as the situation in Gotham City had become messier than she thought. They had heard that there were deserters among their ranks and they had stolen some of their valuable research. According to Mazikeen's report, they had apparently joined up with a new secret organization that has recently surfaced in Gotham.

"I see." Lucifer finally acknowledged.

"There's more." said Mazikeen, continuing her report with muffled shame. "We now know that Hartway was the one responsible for the missing demon specimens. We surmised she somehow procured high level access or one of the other deserters helped her. She is of no more concern however, it has been reported that she consumed one of the specimens but was killed on the scene."

Homare's fists tightened as her thoughts swam angrily, Hartway was one of their "Chosen" alongside Saburota and the others, she knew that the woman wasn't exactly stable but didn't think that she would dare betray them. And to make matters worse, all the missing demon specimens were high level and instrumental in their ongoing elixir research.

Lucifer showed no change in emotion and seemed to mull over these developments for a while.

"It's a pity. I felt Miss Hartway had much potential."

Mazikeen cast her eyes downwards and clutched at her sleeves, trying to not let her shame overwhelm her. After summoning her resolve, she straightened herself and fixed her gaze on her "husband".

"I...This failure is inexcusable and if you wish to personally assess the situation, I'd understand and am willing accept any reprimand. The troops here would certainly be uplifted by your presence."

There was a hopeful tone in her voice which did not go unnoticed by Homare who reacted immediately.

"Don't get ahead of yourself! Have you forgotten that we're currently at war with the True Cross Order!? The commander is in no condition to correct your mistakes!"

Mazikeen snarled at the Adeptus Major, the feelings of disdain where obviously mutual between the two of them. However before the half-masked woman could verbally retaliate, Lucifer spoke.

"Mazikeen..." he breathed out.

Her heart beat quickened and her body was filled with warmth hearing him call out her name. He was never formal with her even when the two of them first met, it made her honestly believe that he saw her differently compared to the other Illuminati members. He never even objected when she took her new name and declared herself as his wife: it had to mean that he loved her dearly as much as she did him, it HAD to!

"I'll leave this affair to you. There is too much at stake right now and we can't afford to have our resources crippled. Find the traitors and deal with them as soon as possible."

"Consider it done, my love." she responded with a determined nod and smile.

Homare gritted her teeth at the woman's boldness but before anything else was said, Gehenna's King of Light suddenly hunched forward and began coughing violently, each hack bringing out a volume of blood.

"Commander!" Homare cried with alarm and rushed to steady him.

Mazikeen was also alarmed and brought herself closer to the screen on her end.

"Dearest, are you alright!?"

Lucifer continued to cough but managed to struggle out a few more words before his weakness got the better of him.

"M-Mazikeen...(koff)...do whatever...is necessary."

"We're done here! End transmission!" called out Homare.

And with that, the screen on Mazikeen's end blinked out. She slowly dragged her fingers over the monitor, wishing she could be with her husband with his condition worsening. She then moved her finger to the cool surface of her mask and closed her visible eye. She has proved time and again her devotion to Lucifer and she will prove it again by eradicating the ones who betrayed them as well this so called "Church" that lured them. No one crosses the Illuminati.

* * *

She remembered how difficult it was for her when she first came to to Assiah, the noise of emotions that assaulted her mind so badly that it made her queasy. Sure, the monks of Azarath trained her hard to be able to tune them out but Azarath was so much quieter and it's inhabitants were a calm, pious lot; she wasn't prepared for the chaos that was Assiah.

She was like two-way radio without a knob or an off switch and what made matters worse was that like a radio, she wasn't just receiving "signals" she was transmitting them as well. Her presence alone made strangers fight, afraid of random things and so depressed it almost drove them to suicide. It was a good thing the Teen Titans took her in when they did but on the other hand, that was all part of the "plan".

But here in Gotham, Raven found the noise to be different. It was chaotic as any other place but it felt more...malicious, dissolute but it also felt defiant and vigilant. It took all her willpower to not let it overwhelm her.

She decided to walk towards her destination today, navigating the sidewalks and avoiding the obstacles of pedestrians. Teleportation or even using her Soul Self was an option but she didn't want to attract attention to herself and for the most part she was successful except for the other entities in the city that are increasingly taking notice of her.

That's right, she could see them just like they could see her: the demons who dwell in Assiah by means of possession, it was something that came with the territory given her heritage.

_"Get born as a half demon and you can get a temptaint absolutely free. Terms and conditions apply."_ she would mutter to herself.

She had seen a number of them back in New York but she did note that there seemed to be a lot more in Gotham, adding to an already congested population. She wondered why, it seemed unusual for a place to have this kind of demonic activity.

She dismissed her thoughts when she finally walked inside a seedy looking looking hotel/lodge, certainly not the kind of place for a fifteen year old girl like her to spend the night but she had her reasons. At the reception desk was the hotel manager, a gruff burly looking man, who's attention shifted to her as she approached. He looked at her curiously thinking she was lost or was seeking directions but then the realization hit him and he rolled his eyes while sighing.

"If all you got on ya is yer parent's credit card then you can go elsewhere." he grunted.

Raven figured that he has probably dealt with teen runaways before and although she wasn't one herself, she did sort of fit in that category. Nevertheless, she plopped a wad of cash on the desk.

"Will this do?"

She felt bad that she used Tim's money like this but to be fair, he did provide funds for all the others on the team and encouraged them to used them as they saw fit. The fact still didn't dissuade her from feeling like a lousy friend. The hotel manager looked at the cash on his desk in silent deliberation before swiping it, the decision being an easy one.

"Fine. Check out's at noon and don't come cryin' to me if any your stuff goes missing or you see someone peeping through yer window, this neighborhood isn't exactly..."

He trailed off as he squinted his eyes and peered at her with more scrutiny.

"Something the matter?" she asked.

He scratched his chin and leaned forward a little.

"You been on TV or somethin'? You look very familiar."

Despite her secretive nature, Raven had been seen publicly in broad daylight alongside the other Teen Titans and there was even footage of her in costume on the news. She figured he was recognizing her because she was currently wearing her dark blue hoodie today. She chided herself for wearing something that resembled her superhero outfit but honestly, she couldn't help herself...she liked hoodies.

"No. Do I look like someone who would put herself on national television?" she asked dryly with a cocked eyebrow.

She kept herself calm as he continued to look at her with suspicion. She hoped he would drop the matter and move on or else she may have to use her powers or even cast a spell on him but that was something she'd rather not do. Fortune favored her this time as he shrugged and handed her the room key.

For some reason her mind later reflected on that moment when she unpacked some of her things from her backpack, when the manager almost recognized her as one of the Titans, a superhero as portrayed on the news. But as far as she was concerned, she was no hero despite what the others told her. A hero doesn't use and betray their friends, a hero doesn't get one of their own killed.

She paused, closed her eyes and forcibly reigned her emotions in. Getting emotional was a bad idea. After a sigh, she continued to fish out materials from her backpack as her thoughts proceeded. Truth of the matter was that she didn't think things through when she decided to come to Gotham but she absolutely refused to accept that demon's help.

Right on cue she spotted it inside her backpack, the intricately carved candle that Neron gave her. She remembered his words when he appeared in her room that day.

_"What if I told you that not only is your mother alive but that she's in Gotham City right now?"_ he said.  _"I could take you to her if that is your wish."_

Although she refused him, the thought of seeing her mother again dominated her mind. She just HAD to know if she was here in Gotham, it was the only path in her life she could take at this moment.

And so here she was in this hotel room, drawing a magic circle and placing incense along its circumference. She had learnt that when her mother was a teenager, she and some other kids used hang out in this building. She figured if she looked into her mother's past, she might find a clue about where she could be right now. It wasn't the best of plans and, like she mused earlier, she didn't think things through but it was all she had at the moment.

A purple glow surrounded her body as she levitated in the middle of the circle while in a meditative padmasana. What she hoped to do was use her magic and meditation to transfer her consciousness to the past and observe when her mother was here. It was a technique she learnt in Azarath but she never put it to practice.

She didn't know if it was because she made an error or outside forces were at play, but her eyes shot wide open as she sensed something was wrong.

A pool of black bubbly viscous substance suddenly formed underneath Raven where the magic circle was and thick black strands shot out and entangled around her wrists and legs.

"AZAR!" she exclaimed.

Her struggles against the tendrils were futile as she was dragged into the abyss below.

Raven groaned as she stirred awake. She tried to allow her eyes adjust to the light, except there wasn't much of it where she was. It was like everything was made of shadows and nothing seemed to have solid mass, as if every corner was alive with small movement and sounds.

She tried to move but she found herself bound spread eagle against a cross shaped pillar with what looked like throbbing dark roots. She attempts to free herself would be put on hold as something in front of her caught her attention: in the darkness, four gigantic all too familiar glowing eyes opened.

"Trigon." she addressed icyly.

"Don't you mean 'Father', child?" responded a malicious booming voice that seemed to surround her.

"You're no father to me! I thought we defeated you."

"You and those so-called Titans only sent me back here, you know I can never be truly gone. You are a part of me, just like I am a part of you."

Raven rolled her eyes at the same tired speech he used to sprout at her over and over but then pondered on what he said before, that they "sent him back here". Where was "here"? She looked around the vague inky environment and came to an unpleasant realization.

"This place...this is Gehenna!" she gasped.

"Do not worry, daughter." Trigon said. "I simply brought your consciousness here while your body is safe in Assiah. The monks should have taught you to be more careful when detaching your mind from your body."

"What do you want!?" Raven snapped.

Trigon's four eyes narrowed at her impudence.

"Mind your tone, brat! You still remain ungrateful, even after I offered you a seat at my throne!"

Raven simply scoffed.

"A throne built on the bodies of millions? Yeah, I'll pass. You were just using me to steal Wonder Girl's armor, to help you enter Assiah."

The disembodied demon seemed to pause for a moment before suddenly bursting out in laughter. The glowing eyes crinkled with mirth as Raven felt every scornful "HA" surround her.

"How condescending you sound!" the booming voice laughed. "For all those views about peace and compassion, you're no better than I am. Yes, I used you. Just like how you used your friends! Just like how you used that boy to sacrifice himself!"

Raven felt her throat seized up and Trigon felt victory as he continued to taunt her.

"Such a temptress. Bravo Raven! Manipulating others to accomplish one's goals is what I'd expect from a great leader. You truly are your father's daughter."

She bit her tongue and tired to not let his barbs get to her. She knew what he was trying to achieve by getting under her skin but she refused to fall for it, she would refuse him the opportunity to use her again.

"Is that why you seek your mother?" he continued. "Because you want some kind of normalcy in your life? Or is because you are uncertain if the feelings of others around you are of your own doing, so you seek her love which you know genuine?"

The daughter of Trigon remained silent.

"If it's her past you seek, then allow me to enlighten you."

The eyes faded away and before Raven an animated image formed. It depicted a teenage Angela Roth hanging out four boys around her age. They were at some party and was sitting outside on the house's porch with beer bottles at their feet and a joint being passed from one person to another after a drag was taken, each looking stoned out of their mind.

Raven felt a sense of awe seeing her mother again but it also felt weird seeing her like this. Angela never spoke of her past to her daughter other than mentioning that she was young and stupid; Raven couldn't help but get that impression when looking at young Angela. Raven didn't mean to be judgmental but to her Angela looked like your run-of-the-mill rebellious yet troubled teen, one who was constantly in and out of juvie and was actively looking for any means to piss off her ultra-conservative parents.

Trigon's voice boomed everywhere as he added his own commentary.

"Your mother was part of a group of young, self indulgent, aimless and pathetic individuals who were never satisfied with their miserable lives. But things would change when they read about a phenomenon that happened ten years prior known as 'The Blue Night'."

_"The Blue Night?"_ Raven wondered.

The scene morphed to show the five teens standing around a crudely drawn pentagram-like symbol with candles and various objects arranged at certain points. They seemed to be preparing some kind of ritual while one of them was recording the whole event on his phone.

"On a whim of either intoxicated impulse, curiosity or sheer boredom, the individuals attempted to recreate the Blue Night after managing to procure arcane texts and mystical objects." Trigon continued to narrate.

Raven decided then that she agreed with her mother, they were young and VERY stupid.

"They were hoping to summon HIM. But they brought me instead."

As Trigon said, the teens looked excited when they saw a blue colored ghost light appear above the glyph but then it suddenly changed to dark red and one the boys immediately hunched over and began convulsing. The remaining teens watched in horror as they saw the boy go through a radical metamorphosis; his muscles bulked up to the point of almost ripping his clothes, his skin turned brick red, his hair white, ears became pointed, another pair of eyes opened above his own and he grew claws, fangs and antler-like horns.

With the boy now possessed, the demon immediately went on a rampage. He started by plowing his whole arm into the teen boy that was near him, breaking through his rib cage and spine. Angela screamed in terror as the boy fell dead with a pool of blood flowing from his cavity. The other two boys tried fleeing but they didn't get far. He easily crushed the head of one and tore the legs of the other, littering the floor with flesh and bone matter.

The demon grinned wildly at the bloodshed he caused but then noticed something was wrong. His own blood began to leak from his eyes and nose, it was then when he noticed that his possessed body was going through a state of necrosis. He stepped back in confusion but then his eyes drifted towards Angela who was frozen in horror.

"Being a powerful demon and an Ancient, I knew my shell wouldn't last long in Assiah. So in that brief moment, I saw an opportunity to lay the foundations...no, 'plant a seed' that would bear the fruit to one day help me return."

Trigon's narration sent chills down Raven's spine as she helplessly watched the demon tackle her teenage mother to the ground. Angela tried fighting back, tears from eyes fell unrestricted as she realized the horrible ordeal she would go through. But she couldn't stop him from easily ripping off her jeans and panties nor could she stop him from holding her legs open and allowing him to enter her.

Raven scrunched her eyes shut and turned her head away. She couldn't bear to watch anymore but she wasn't spared from hearing Angela's pained screams and sobs.

"Enough...I said ENOUGH!" Raven yelled.

And just like that, the image dissolved in the darkness and the four glowing eyes reappeared. Raven expected him to laugh and throw more jibes at her but surprisingly he was quiet. She opened her eyes and glared at him but he just seemed to stare at her for a moment.

"Very well." Trigon finally spoke. "Continue to search for your mother. But I shall leave you with a little advice. Stay away from Neron, that swindler stole my throne and he will steal a lot more from you."

Raven gave an incredulous chuckle and sneered at him.

"Heh, YOU giving me advice? Is that fatherly concern? Or are you just afraid of the competition, Daddy dearest?"

She could see that the corner of his glowing eyes twitched. It seemed that she turned the tables and managed to get under his skin this time.

"Fight me all you want, child! But as your father, I only ask that you heed my words: beware Neron!"

Those were the last words of his she heard before she opened her eyes and found herself back in the hotel room. She blinked in confusion and then picked herself from the magic circle and looked at the alarm clock. It said 12 AM which made her wonder how long was her consciousness "gone"? She then sat on her bedside, massaging her scalp with a sigh.

The whole thing was surreal but the most surreal part? Her father, Trigon the Terrible, slaughterer of millions and ravager of worlds...was trying to warn her about Neron. Her sight drifted towards where she kept the candle and was beginning to wonder if she should light it. This excursion was turning out to be a bust and if he knew where her mother was, it would make things a lot easier.

She immediately dismissed such thoughts. No, she would do this one her own. she couldn't give up yet. She had come this far already.

* * *

It was currently lunch period at True Cross Academy and Rin's strange encounter with the demon named Neron was the main topic of discussion among the friends gathered at the fountain. Among them was Noriko Paku, a friend of Izumo who was for a brief time part of their cram class. Since hearing about what happened, the group had been bombarding Rin with questions since the morning and had to wait till now to get their answers.

"So he can grant any wish?" asked Paku.

Izumo didn't look very convinced, her eyes were half lidded eyes and her voice was laced with doubt.

"Like, if I wanted the latest volume of Kimi Monogatari, He can just give it to me before it's even published?"

Rin was getting annoyed that they all seem to be asking about details he knew nothing about. When he recounted the events of that evening to them, he decided to leave out the bits about Neron using illusions of them to trick him. He wasn't normally the type to keep secrets but those details would've been way too embarrassing to share.

"How the hell do I know?! That's what he told me anyway." Rin huffed with exasperation.

Renzo looked the most enthusiastic of the group and couldn't help but feel envious of Rin.

"I gotta say Okumura, you got it made! Getting your heart's desire granted. I'm surprised you're not jumping at his offer already. I mean if it were me, I would."

"Huh, and what would you wish for?" asked Izumo while giving him a sideways glance.

Renzo turned towards her with a grin.

"Oh I think you already know Izumo-chan." he cooed with a wink.

"Ugh! I'd wish for you to disappear forever!"

Typical of her behavior, Izumo erupted immediately with flustered irritation while Paku chuckled at the two's antics. At this point Konekomaru chimed in with his two cents.

"Still, the idea of Okumura having total control over his powers is pretty exciting. It would be beneficial to have a fully functional Okumura than a semi-functional one."

"Hey who you calling semi-functional!" Rin fumed but then recovered with a smug grin.

"Heh heh, you're not totally wrong tho, Neron said I could be a Paladin and wouldn't need to take any exams."

Shiemi had been quiet throughout the whole discussion and honestly had no input on the matter. She didn't know what to think of it all and was only worried for Rin and his well being. She couldn't help it, all she wanted was the friendship she had with the group and the feeling of belonging, it was only natural for her to worry. But something about what Rin said and the enthusiasm behind it made her take it the wrong way and brought about negative feelings.

_"No exams means Rin won't study with us. If this is Rin's true desire then does that mean he doesn't want to be with us anymore?"_

She peered at him as he again recounted the "future" that was promised to him with cockiness. That night when he told her that he LIKED her came to mind for some reason and that recalled moment still made her confused and awkward.

_"Maybe...maybe he's gotten fed up with us."_ she thought sadly.

Shiemi was brought out of her thoughts when Ryuji all of a sudden snapped at everyone. She noticed earlier that he had been listening tensely to Rin's account and was holding back his ire as the others spoke with enthusiasm, it seemed he was finally at his breaking point.

"Have all of you lost your minds!? Have you forgotten that he does all this in exchange for your soul!? Your soul, man! You would trade away something like that!?"

"I would."

The person who said this with an emotionless tone was Izumo Kamiki and the others reeled back at such a statement.

"K-Kamiki-san, how could you say something like that?" Shiemi asked softly.

Izumo didn't respond and instead kept her gaze downward with a morose expression. Paku sighed with a similar expression but she also had a look of understanding; she knew Izumo better than Izumo knew herself sometimes. Had Neron offered that same deal to Izumo, she wouldn't hesitate for an opportunity to reunite with her mother and her sister Tsukumo.

Tamomo Kamiki might have been a flawed person but she ultimately loved her children and Izumo sadly only realized this when her mother passed away in front of her and freed from the possession of Nine Tails. Izumo believed that her soul would be a small price to pay, She believed it was tainted enough as it is.

Paku cleared her throat and attempted to steer the conversation away from this subject.

"Erm, except all he's asking is from Rin is for him to visit America."

"Oh yeah, Gotham City." Rin said with a blink and the tense atmosphere was gone. He crossed his hands and began to mull. "I wonder what it's like over there."

"I always wanted to visit. I've seen some pictures of the city in the magazines from the cafes I've been to, it seems like a big hub for fashion and music."

Hearing Paku talk about fashion made Renzo think about all the foreign models he used to ogle at from his magazines and frequented website. Those thoughts made him only more teary-eyed with envy.

"It's not fair! You're not only getting your wish granted but you'll get to see all those american babes!"

He then slid up to Rin with an open mouth smile, eyes closed and palms joined like someone shamelessly asking for a hand-out.

"I mean, hehe, when you DO get to make a wish, you'll remember your ol' pal Shima, right?"

Rin looked him off for a moment before responding curtly.

"Who are you again?"

"Don't be so cruel!" Renzo whined with teary-eyes.

Rin rolled his eyes and sighed with exasperation.

"It's not like I can meet him again even if I want to. Yukio said he handed the candles over to Mephisto."

"And what did Sir Pheles say about the whole thing?" asked Konekomaru.

"He said I should pretend to go for it and see what he's up to."

Renzo recovered from his earlier expression and grinned.

"Is that all? Hey, take it from me: the whole double agent gig is a lot easier than it looks."

He would know. Not long ago it was revealed that Renzo Shima was acting as a spy for both the Illuminati and the True Cross Order, a role which he volunteered for. It seemed that both parties are aware of his role as a double agent which made his loyalties appear uncertain. The whole thing made the other Ex-Wires, particularly Ryuji and Konekomaru, question their friendship with the pink-haired boy but in the end the group decided to trust him, albeit warily.

"If you want, I can give you a few pointers." Renzo said with an arm slung around Rin's shoulders.

Rin shrugged Renzo's arm off.

"I don't think so! You might find being a back-stabbing liar easy, but not me!"

Renzo sheepishly chuckled while scratching his hair.

"Ehehehe, no need to make it sound so negative."

"You can't make it sound any anything else but negative!" snapped Bon.

Ryuji then crossed his arms, with a stern expression.

"Anyway, I think the whole thing stinks! Like what Mara did to Buddha, he's probably just tempting you into a trap!"

"Which begs the question, why a trap?" stated Konekomaru.

This question made everyone fall silent and got their attention.

"What do you mean, Miwa-san?" asked Shiemi.

Miwa pushed his glasses up sightly, the lenses momentarily reflecting the light.

"I mean if he is as powerful as Rin said he is, why didn't he just capture him? Why go through all this trouble?"

"So you think he's telling the truth?" Izumo asked.

None of them seemed to have an answer.

Not too far from the group, atop of one the campus's many buildings were three lanky looking beings. Two of them, Abnegazar and Ghast, sat cross-legged opposite each other with playing cards in hand and a deck/pile in the middle. After picking up Abnegazar's discarded card, Ghast exchanged it for another in his hand which he then place face down.

"Gin!" the large eyed demon declared.

Abnegazar's hollow black eyes widened and he looked flabbergasted. He glanced back and forth between his sets of cards and the ones Ghast revealed until he roared and threw his cards down in frustration.

"Argh! Son of a...I call bullshit! You must've shuffled 'em all wrong!"

"Then YOU do the shuffling!"

"Fine! I will!"

The taller demon said this as he levitated all the cards with a swish of his hand, followed by having the cards float towards each other, arranging in a neat deck and then shuffling on its own in mid-air.

Standing a little away from them near the edge of the roof was their younger brother, Rath. He was shorter with long pointed ears, bushy eyebrows and a Mohawk and it seemed like he was just peering at the people down below but in actuality, his mind was in turmoil. He was clearly the most hyper of the group, craving wanton violence and destruction and his body nearly shook as he struggled to contain the frustrated frenzy building up inside him until finally he couldn't take it anymore.

With frustrated-fueled yell, he charged a mystical ball of energy in his hand, turned and then flung it towards his brothers where it hit the floating deck of cards and exploded upon impact.

After being sent on his back, Abnegazar quickly pushed himself up and rounded on the offender.

"Hey! What's your damage, asshole!?"

"My damage!? We're not doing any damages, THAT'S my problem! We've been waiting for the past several hours without even knowing what we're waiting for!"

Ghast, unlike his brothers, tried to play mediator and calm them down.

"Rath, just chill! Neron said stick with the plan and..."

But Rath was having none of it.

"Neron hasn't even told us what exactly this plan is! Just that it involves those two bastard spawns and those Xayona yahoos! He's done his usual dramatic shit but that stupid Okumura kid hasn't even taken the bait yet!"

Having had enough of his brother's complaining, Abnegazar fired back at him.

"So, what do wanna do? Get Samael's attention? Go somewhere else? In case you haven't noticed there's a barrier around this place, idiot! Once we leave, we can't come back!"

Rath bit back realizing that his brother had a point but nevertheless, he was still adamant.

"Then let's just grab Okumura and..." he was about to argue.

"Literally invite the True Cross Knights as well as the Lords of Order right to our doorstep?" Abnegazar interrupted. "Or even one of the Baal? Think you can take them on with your current weak-ass power?"

Abnegazar's lips then stretched into a vile sneer.

"Then be my guest. Least they could us a favour by putting down the runt of this litter."

This would normally be the part where Ghast would forebodingly remark "Hoo Boy, here we go." but his attention was instead on something that was floating above them. He stepped back a little with his jaw hanging open as he warily called out to his brothers.

"Uh, Bros?"

But it fell on deaf ears as the two brothers were engaged in a scuffle, kicking up dust clouds as they wrestled with one another.

"Take that back, you shit eating, walking glory hole!" growled Rath.

"Make me, you pube-headed, monkey-fucker!" countered Abnegazar.

Ghast called out again, this time with more volume and urgency.

"BROS!"

"WHAT!?" the two demons turned and snapped in annoyance.

But they too were astonished after they followed their brother's gaze and saw that high above them, sitting casually on a floating decorated chair was Mephisto Pheles with an amused smirk.

"My, my, my. Where did you ancient beings learn such colorful vocabulary?" he chortled.

"Shit, it's Samael!" gasped Rath.

"What do we do!? What do we do!?"

Abnegazar shut both his brothers up by smacking them upside their heads.

"Quit yer bellyaching! We can take 'im!"

"But didn't you just say..."

"I said shut up!" snapped Abnegazar, interrupting Rath.

With his smirk ever present on his face, Mephisto got up from his chair and floated down with his cape billowing in wind. He had his arms behind his back as he touched down a few feet away and then walked slowly towards them. The three demons stepped back nervously when he got close to peered at them, unable to predict what the King of Time would do next.

"So you're the legendary Demons Three. Never thought I'd ever see the three of you in the flesh."

Mephisto's glance went downwards and that immediately resulted in him recoiling with a grimace and covering his eyes.

"Eep! A little too much flesh for my liking! For goodness sake, put some clothes on!"

With a snap of his fingers, a puff of pink smoke erupted where the three demons stood and with looks of confusion, they found themselves wearing ensembles one would say belonged to a cliche 90s street gang; motorcycle jackets, bandannas, ripped denim jeans, finger-less gloves and other accessories of the like.

Mephisto, still unable to get the mental picture out of his mind, shuddered with disgust and huffed snobbishly.

"Urgh! You primitive ones are so...primitive!"

After composing himself, the True Cross Academy headmaster turned towards the three demons while stroking his goatee.

"Let me guess, Neron left the three of you behind with the intention of acting as some kind of failsafe or maybe to monitor me without notice. He obviously doesn't know me very well."

He then pointed at the three of them with a grin.

"Nor you lot for that matter. No offense but neither of you strike me as the subtle type."

The three demons still kept their guard up and looked warily at him, It was Abnegazar who responded with a cocked brow.

"Yeah? Whatzit to you?"

Mephisto simply put his hands up in mock-defense.

"Nothing, just making an observation."

Mephisto then turned and towards the edge of the roof and looked down at all the exorcists and students going about their daily lives. The demon trio wondered why the King of Time wasn't attacking them. He obviously knew that they are enemies of Satan and he could easily crush them if he wanted to, being the second most powerful of the Baal. Instead, Mephisto continued to speak.

"And while we're on the subject of observations, here's another one: If Neron wants Rin Okumura to come to Gotham, he's going about it the wrong way."

Mephisto then turned towards them with that amused smile.

"Oh, I'm sure his sales pitch must've been grand but Okumura is stubborn yet has quite a simple and straightforward nature. Tugging at his emotions wouldn't amount to much as opposed to a firm, hard yank."

The brother demons glanced at each other for a moment, not sure where Mephisto was going with this line of speaking.

"Whadaya trying to say?" asked Abnegazar.

"I'm not trying to say anything." Mephisto responded with a shrug. "Just making commentary about how Okumura is no different from you three, subtlety just won't work."

The trio's minds started reeling at this; Mephisto was obviously implying something and they weren't sure what. Was he saying they should go forward with what Rath was suggesting? The only reason it was a bad idea was that it would attract attention but now that Mephisto found them, wouldn't that reason be moot?

While they were lost in thought, Mephisto tipped his hat to them and began to float away.

"Well gentleman, I'll be taking my leave now. I just came to check up on you three. Try not to dirty the place too much, maintenance can be such a bother."

Seeing that he was about to leave, Rath dashed forward to stop him.

"Whoa, whoa! Wait up!"

"Yes? um, What was your name again? Rasp?"

"Rath!" the shorter demon snapped irritably.

Mephisto nonchalantly shrugged with indifference.

"Whatever. I always get your names mixed up."

Ghast also decided to address the King of Time as he came behind his brother.

"Look, appreciate the threads and all but ain't we supposed to fight or something?" he asked.

"Whatever for?"

That response left Rath flabbergasted.

"W-what for!? You're a Satan spawn! That makes us enemies!"

"My place is in Assiah. I had cut ties with Gehenna long ago. Where else can I get my Figurines? My Lucky Star box sets? My Yukari Yuzuki Hug Pillow?"

Rath and Ghast turned towards each other with gobsmacked looks.

"What the hell is a Hug Pillow?" asked Rath to which Ghast responded with a shrug.

Mephisto resumed floating towards his chair and spoke one last thing to bring the conversation to a close.

"Point is, it's not like you're doing anything and you're not going anywhere anytime soon..."

After taking his seat, the headmaster looked down at them with a sly grin etched on his face.

"...unless you WANT to."

And with that, the headmaster disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.

Abnegazar's black sockets went wide in realization when he finally processed Mephisto was actually implying.

_"'Unless you want to'...He's goading us!"_

THAT'S why he didn't attack them! He just wanted to show them he was aware of the their presence. That they were more or less trapped here! If they go and report to Neron now, they can't come back because of the barrier and they'll loose any chance of luring Okumura to Gotham. But if they wait any longer Samael might rally the other True Cross Knights and hunt them down.

Abnegazar narrowed his eyes in thought as something else Mephisto said echoed in his mind.

_"Subtlety just won't work."_

Their hands were being forced. It seemed that there was only one thing left to do.

"What was all that about?" asked Rath.

"Nevermind that." said Ghast. "He knows we're here, so what do we do now?"

Abnegazar walked towards the edge of the roof and swept his eyes across the whole campus, analyzing the location of the building as well as the whole terrain.

"We're changing plans." he finally said.

"Huh!?"

His two brothers both exclaimed as they looked at him with surprise. Abnegazar looked back with a toothy grin and materialized a fiery energy ball in his hand.

"Well Rath, you win. Ready to do some damages?"

 

**TBC**


End file.
